The Escapade
by x.uprising
Summary: Kakashi x OC. Lexie is a small town girl working as a waitress in a diner. The only money she really gets is from a unknown man who pays her more than he should on tips. When fate brings them together, how long will the rest of the world keep them apart?
1. Prologue

The Escapade

"_We had a place that we could call home, and a life no one could touch."  
__-Prayer of the Refugee; Rise Against_

When I was sixteen or so, I landed my first job. I was out to get the job done, and to prove to my parents that I was worthy of being one of them—a working individual. Growing up in a working family, everyone was so stubborn that each and every one of us stood up against each other every time there was a disagreement. My mom had to be the worst out of all of us. She always did everything, and always did it correctly. My dad was like her, but he did his work in an orthodox way. My grandparents were the same. Everyone knew how to work, work correctly, and be satisfied at the end of the day.

Now, I'm twenty-one. I'm still at the same job have been—at a diner—and my position hasn't moved at all. I'm still a waitress, and every now and again I'm the manager. I don't get paid much, but at least I'm working, right? I'm paid in minimum wage, which is roughly around seven dollars or so, give or take a few cents. Tips don't come in easily, even though many prefer me as their waitress. I even get requests now and then to come and wait on people, which I find extremely neat. I wasn't all that favored in high school, during and even after I graduated four years ago. I didn't do what I wanted to, but I did graduate in the top of my class. I'm saving up for college, too. The only reason why I didn't ask for a scholarship is because I really couldn't break my bond with this place.

Today was the first day of summer, which meant more and more people would be filing in soon. School is out for break, and I know most people's jobs are most likely hitting a all time low or high. This season brings out the 'hit and miss' of the economy—from here it could either go up or down. As I'm mopping the floor, I move to get out of my manager's way. Okay, maybe she isn't the manager, but she's the manager's granddaughter, I should say.

"Get out of my way!" she exclaimed. I rolled my eyes and continued to mop the floor while she sat on a bar stool painting her nails. She held her too-expensive-wasting-money phone against her shoulder while she chatted away. This chick was someone I never wanted to be. Her name was Kate, and she was the granddaughter of Elaine, the manager. Kate never stayed around, except for one hour a day. She stayed here from seven to eight o'clock, opening time to one hour after. Her snobby-nosed boyfriend picked her up at eight, and God knows what they did. I tried to befriend Kate, because she was in school with me and graduated when I did.

Elaine was nice to me. She was the best—and only—manager I ever had. Her mother opened the diner up when she was around my age. The diner is named after her mother, too—Bonnie's Drive Thru. Elaine hardly talked about her mother, even though she remembers her quite well. Elaine isn't old; she is only in her mid sixties. She doesn't show her age, which is something she has in common with my family. Her daughter's name is Victoria, who is complete polar opposite of Elaine. Victoria and her daughter are very similar, which I'm guessing why they never come around much. Elaine hardly ever talks about Victoria either, but only says, "She'll learn about her family one day," and leaves it be. None of us at the diner ask about Elaine's life, but we'll listen carefully when she does speak about it. Elaine is very kind and gentle, but she can be austere when she wants to be.

I'm pretty okay with the workers here. We all know each other and have been friends for a long time. Sometimes I think that I'm the one who brought everyone together, but it could be just me.

"Lexie," Elaine called from the kitchen. "I need you to start inventory after your break today."

I nodded and agreed; inventory wasn't something I looked forward to doing, but I had to. My friend LB and I were the only ones who knew how to do inventory.

"Speaking of LB," I whispered to myself, setting the mop aside. "Hey, LB! You got a minute?" I yelled.

LB—short for Laura Beth—came out of the kitchen. "Always for you, darling." She said jokingly. "What's up?"  
"Inventory." I said. The one word that made her face turn whiter than usual.

"Ugh, seriously?" she asked.

"Yeah, I know."

"Okay. After break?"  
"That's fine." I said. She opened her mouth to speak, but it closed and formed into a wicked smile. She pointed discreetly into the corner of the diner. "Your man is here." She whispered.

My insides jumped internally as I knew whom she was referring to. I whipped out my notepad and pencil as I walked over to him. He always came in here late, always ordered the same meal, and left me a larger tip than he really should. No one at the diner knew him but me, and no one else spoke to him. I asked LB about it, once. She said that most were afraid to, because he looked intimidating.

"Good morning, sir." I said with a smile as I approached his table. He returned the smile.

"Morning, Lexie. I'll have the usual." He said simply. I nodded at him and gave him a cup of coffee to hold him over while I fixed his meal. He was simply referred to as "My Man" at the diner, because neither of us knew his name. I was prompted to ask on certain occasions, but I didn't want to interfere that much. I was pretty shy, too. He was tall and slender, but mostly made of muscle from what I could tell. His eyes were the deepest but lightest blue I ever saw, and his hair was a light gray. He was very aristocratic looking—a strong and high set jaw line, a stern facial expression and his eyes could pierce your soul. He was very laid back and nonchalant. He rarely laughed, and when he did, the sound came from Heaven. He had the deepest but huskiest voice in this town. Today, he was wearing blue jeans—form fitting from all angles, by the way—and a navy blue short-sleeved shirt. He wasn't old, though. He was talking to a friend once, and I overheard the conversation. He was only twenty-six, and he was single.

I wasn't about to change the last part because there wasn't any way on God's earth that he would go for someone like me.

I handed him his regular breakfast meal—toast, eggs sunny-side up, bacon and two biscuits—and simply said, "Enjoy."

"Thanks, doll." He said as I left the table. I felt his eyes bore into the back of me, and I knew he was watching me walk away. I turned to LB in the kitchen and smiled at her.

"I'm going to get his name tomorrow."


	2. Chapter One: Tempting The Unknown

The Escapade

Chapter One: Tempting The Unknown

Different people started to come in as 'my man' ate; regulars, mostly. Our breakfast special was extremely good. I waited on six tables before he finished eating. He strolled up to the cash register and leaned up against it. My breath hitched in my throat as he brought out his wallet; the once-over of him was completely and utterly lustful.

"Do you take checks?" he asked, his voice deep and husky. "I left my money at home." He seemed nervous now, and I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Yes, we do."

He took out his checkbook and elegantly wrote the information on it. I couldn't help but stare as he did so. He clicked his pen and handed me the check, then sat down a five-dollar bill on the counter. I gave him his receipt and smiled.

"Thanks," I said.

"No problem. See you later," he called as he walked out. I hoped it would be a promise, but I secretly doubted it. I saw him get into a truck out in the parking lot—a black Ford F150—and drive away. LB and Elaine walked over to me.

"Aren't you going to look at it?" LB asked.

"At what?"

"The check," Elaine said with a laugh. "His name should be on there."

"That's prying!"

"No, it's curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat," I said. As soon as I said this, my mom walked through the door of the diner. She grinned at me.

"Satisfaction brought it back." She said while handing me a box of envelopes. "Here, this is for you. LB said you guys were running out of envelopes."

"Thanks. Should I really look at the check?" I asked. I hadn't really placed it in the drawer of the register yet; I had it lying face down on the counter.

"You should make sure it's a legal check." My mom said.

I looked at her and sighed. "Making sure it's a legal check? Excuses, excuses."

"Just do it."

Elaine, LB, and my mom huddled around me. I told my mom about "the man who eats in the diner everyday," so it wasn't like she didn't know who I was talking about. I turned the check over, looking at his handwriting. Then, my eyes averted toward the left hand corner and saw his name.

"Kakashi Hatake," I muttered. It rolled off my tongue. "He lives down the street from us." I told LB.

"I wonder why we never noticed." LB said.

"Because he never leaves the house," I offered. "I never see him around."

"Or because you never pay attention." My mom said.

"Well."

"Well? You know his name now," Elaine said gently.

"And, his number is on there, you could call him." LB said, as if she was completing Elaine's thoughts.

I laughed desperately. "Haha, me? Calling him? Very funny."

"You should."

"Then he'll know I looked at his check and got his number."

"True, true." My mom interrupted. "You could wait for him to."

I laughed again and walked off to continue working for the remainder of my shift. Kakashi never came back for dinner, or lunch, and I wondered why. Work ended at eight, and LB and I went home. LB and I have been roommates for four years, ever since we graduated. I had help starting out from my parents, and I honestly didn't think I would make it on my own so well as I did. I didn't mind having LB as my roommate; I was actually the one who insisted it. Her boyfriend Iruka would come over on occasions and see her. I never told her, but it still kind of bothered me that she had someone and I didn't. I guess I was sort of jealous, in a way.

I drove home and opened the door to the apartment. Iruka greeted LB, and he greeted me as well. I put my jacket, purse, and keys up and kicked off my shoes next to the door. Our apartment was pretty nice, for cheap rent. It was two bedrooms, one bathroom, and it came furnished. I paid good money for it for the first month, but it was worth it. The kitchen and laundry room were pretty big, as well as the living room. Our eating space and kitchen were sort of combined to make it easier.

I sat down on the couch after grabbing a bowl of ice cream and turned the television on. After the second commercial, I heard a knock on the door. I opened the door, and there stood Kakashi.

He wasn't looking at me when he spoke first. "Uh, your trash cans rolled down to my condo and I—" he looked up and his eyes widened. "Lexie?"

"Uhm, hi."

"You live here?"

"Yeah, me and my roommate do."

"Oh," his tone brightened. "Well, uh, your trash cans rolled down the street and I placed them back up for you."

"Thanks. That was nice of you." I smiled at him. I was close to shutting the door when Iruka yelled down the stairwell.

"I'd know that voice anywhere!" he yelled. "Kakashi!"

"Iruka?" he raised a silver eyebrow. "Is that you?"

"Come in, come in…" I offered. Kakashi walked through and hugged Iruka. "It's a small world." I muttered to myself.

"What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked, his eyes averted toward me for a split second. I opened my mouth to speak, but Iruka beat me to the draw. He blushed and I shut the door.

"My girlfriend lives here," he said nervously. "LB is my girlfriend."

I coughed and started to tidy up the living room. "Kakashi, could I get you anything to eat or drink?"

He shook his head. "No, thanks though. Good breakfast this morning though."

I smiled. "Thanks. We do our best."

"So, this is the girl from the diner you talk so much about, eh, Kakashi?" asked Iruka. Kakashi fidgeted from one foot to the other. He was obviously embarrassed. I felt sorry for him, but I also wondered what he had said about me.

"Yeah..this is..uh..her." he said slowly. Iruka and Kakashi looked at each other at the same time, and Kakashi's glare to Iruka made me feel sorry for Iruka the next time him and Kakashi were alone.

"So, how do you guys know each other?" I asked in an attempt to break the awkwardness.

"We were best friends in high school. Kakashi was always great at everything, he even graduated second in his class."

"Really? So did Lexie." LB added.

I blushed.

"It didn't even occur to me that this was the same girl." Iruka said, mostly to himself or LB. Kakashi placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure."

We walked out to the front porch—well, what could be called a porch.

"Are you working tomorrow?" he asked me, leaning up against the door.

"Nope, I'm always off on Fridays. Why?"

He looked around. "Well, I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tomorrow night? Nothing fancy. Just dinner." I heard hope in his voice.

"Oh, sure. I'd love to."  
"Great. I'll pick you up around six? Is that all right?"

"That's fine."  
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Have a good night." He said. He flicked his wrist in the form of a wave and walked off. I went back in the apartment, smiling from ear to ear. I took a deep breath before jumping up and down. I ran to LB's room and banged on her door.

"LB! I have a date tomorrow night!" I yelled. I was still jumping up and down when she opened the door.

"With who?"

"Kakashi!"

"That's great!" she exclaimed. She gave me a hug. "I knew he'd come around."

"He's picking me up at six, can you handle things here until I get back?"

She gave me a bad look and narrowed her eyes. "Duh. This apartment is half mine, silly. I can handle it."

I smiled.

"Just so you know, you're letting me pick out your outfit."


	3. Chapter Two: The Twenty Questions Game

The Escapade  
Chapter Two: The Twenty Questions Game

"_And it's hard to hold on when there's no one to lean on." –Keep The Faith; Bon Jovi._

It was five thirty when I decided that I still hadn't picked out something to wear for my 'date' with Kakashi.

"It's five thirty and I don't have an outfit!" I yelled pathetically. Clothes were spread out across the room, and I sworn I threw a shirt upon the ceiling fan.

"Why are you yelling?" LB said calmly as she walked into my room. "And why aren't you dressed? Kakashi will be here in thirty minutes or less and you're still scrounging around to find an outfit!"

"I can't find anything!" I exclaimed.

"I'd say not, because it's all over this room!" she grunted. "Have you tried blue jeans and a nice shirt?" she asked. I thought it over for a second and went with it; it was better than nothing. I made my way to the bathroom and put my clothes on. I had simple dark wash blue jeans with ballet flats to match, and a blue and red silk halter-top with a white overlaying jacket. I curled my brown hair and put some light makeup on. I never wore any eye makeup because everyone thought my brown eyes were pretty enough alone, so I let them be. My eyes were the only things that I really liked about myself.

It was 6:10 when the doorbell rang. I grabbed my purse, waved goodbye to LB, and opened the door. I almost had a heart attack when I saw Kakashi. He was in a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and in blue jeans.

"Wow," he breathed. "You look amazing."

I smiled sheepishly. "So do you."

"Sorry I'm late, I had wardrobe problems." He said while we made our way to his truck.

"I know that feeling." I said. He opened the passenger side door for me like a true gentleman. The inside of his truck was surprisingly clean, in which I'd hoped it would be. I looked out of the window and saw LB look through the living room bay window and I laughed to myself as he pulled out of the driveway.

"Something funny?" he asked.

"My roommate is watching us leave," I said.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Satisfaction brings it back." I countered. He turned to look at me and I gave him a wide grin. "My mom says that to me all the time."

"Funny woman," he said. "So, where did you go to school?"

"Ridgeway. I graduated four years ago." I said. I suddenly felt so young compared to him.

"Oh, so did I." He said. "I just graduated eight years ago," he gave me a look. "Were you the same Lexie that was on the debate team?"

"Yep. That was me."

He suddenly gave me a once over—or a really quick look because he was driving and almost hit a car—and I saw his eyes widen."I remember you. You look so different from back then. Everyone in my senior class said you should have graduated with us."

I laughed, and silently wondered what _'you look so different from back then'_ meant coming from Kakashi. "I'm not _that_ smart," I mused. "Just smarter than the average bear."

He laughed a deep, throaty sound that I've only heard once or twice, and I felt my heart jump. "Where did you grow up?" he asked as we came to a red light.

"Here," I said. "In Ridgeway. I was born in a different state, though. I miss that place, but this place has grown on me."

"I feel the same way, even though I was born here. I tried going to college out of state, but I missed Ridgeway too much. So, I applied for a job here and now I eat at your diner everyday."

"I noticed. What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm manager over stock at Wal-Mart," he eyed me ad caught me smiling. "Don't laugh. It's actually pretty cool."

"I've always wanted to work there. I just can't break my ties with the diner."

"How long have you worked there?"

"Since I was sixteen."

"Good money?"

"It's all right," I confessed. "I have to work two jobs during this time of the year though."

"Why?" he asked. I saw him frown visibly.

"I need the extra money to catch up." I laughed at myself at the tone of my voice—it sounded so normal, like as if everyone worked two jobs and everyone had it like I did.

"Does your roommate work two jobs?"

"No, she just works one."

"That doesn't seem fair."

I shrugged. It was fair to me, because I always wanted to prove myself in any situation. "I'm a workaholic."

"I've came to notice," he said with a smile. "Did you come from a working family?"

"Every bit."

"So did I."

We arrived at the restaurant, which I found out that Kakashi had made reservations for. A part of me felt a little guilty—no one ever spent this much money on me—well, not another man, anyway. The waitress directed us to the table and we ordered our food.

"So, what do you like to do in your spare time?" he asked while we waited.

I had to laugh. "Twenty questions?" he shrugged. "Read, write, and listen to music. Everything, really."

"Do you like sports?" I knew my answer would take him by surprise.

"Basketball, baseball, volleyball, golf, and football. I like to watch them as well as play them. Tell me if you want to do a one-on-one game, and I'll bring the Kleenexes so you can cry afterward." I smirked. He raised an eyebrow in response and I giggled.

"You like football. You can cook. You can clean, from what I've saw from your house, and if you could, you could live independently." He stated. It wasn't a question, and his tone was serious.

"Is that a problem?" I said slowly. I didn't know if this conversation would turn bad or not.

He smiled at me and shook his head. "Not at all. That's definitely a good thing." He smirked. "I just don't see why you aren't engaged or married by now. You're the all-American woman."

I blushed about twenty shades of red. "All-American woman?"

"Yes. If that isn't offensive to you or anything."

"Not at all." I said. "Not at all. So, tell me about yourself. You're very intriguing." I said. The waitress brought us our food and we began to eat.

"Oh, so I'm intriguing?" he asked. I nodded, because I had my mouth full of food. He laughed, and my heart jumped again. Twice in one night, I was getting lucky. "Well, I graduated eight years ago. After that, I tried to go to college out of state, which obviously didn't work. I applied for the job at Wal-Mart and moved into that condo down the street. I went in debt for my truck for the next fifty years of my life, and now, I'm here with you." He took a bite of food as he continued. "I tend to be very quiet and relaxed, though."

I smiled. "Same here. I never was the loud type."

"If I asked you how many serious relationships you've been in, would you be offended?"

I was a little taken aback by that, but I wasn't offended. "Only if you tell me first."

"I asked you first!" he whined.

"I asked second. Two is bigger than one." I retorted.

"But one is a prime number."

"God made man first." I said. He didn't reply for a second and I punched the air with my fist. "Hah! I win."

"Psh, fine. I've never been in a serious relationship. I dated one girl in high school, and we dated for a few weeks; probably around two or so. She played the field a lot. So, I ended it. I haven't dated anyone since." He said seriously.

"I've been in one serious relationship. Well, I thought it was serious." I looked down at my plate. "Apparently, I'm the type to be cheated on. But, I was only fourteen at the time. Nothing is serious back then."

"He cheated on you?"

"Yeah. Twice. He asked out my friends while we were together. He did a lot of stupid junk. So did I. But, I don't regret it. It made me stronger."

"True, true." He said. I could tell he understood.

We created small talk after that, and finished eating. "Dinner is on me," he said.

"Are you sure? Or did you leave your wallet at home?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Funny, funny. I've got it." He waved a hand in dismissal. He paid for dinner and we left the restaurant. "Well, the night is young. If you're up for it, we could do something else?" It came out as a question.

I nodded. "Fine by me."

A small smile spread across his face. "I have an idea."

So, he refused to tell me—until we arrived there—that his wonderful idea was stargazing on top of Ridgeway Outlook. We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"You know, you weren't the girl I expected you to be." He stated.

"I wasn't?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Is that a good or bad thing?"

"Definitely good. It shocks me that you have the will to be independent at such a young age—but you're only five years younger than me, right? Also, you're hardworking, and intelligent. And, of course, you're very pretty."

"Awh, I wouldn't go that far." I said. "But, thank you. You weren't what I expected either."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I expected you to be some high-class lawyer or administrator or something. You come off as very professional."

"Hah, professional? I'm a train wreck." He said. I saw him look up at the sky with a look that I could place easily—loneliness. I knew that feeling, and knew it well. Many times, I sat in my room with the door locked and cried, because I was so lonely. LB knew this, because often she would come in and cry with me until she met Iruka. Now, I cried when I knew she wasn't home or able to hear. "I haven't been the same since my parents died."

I put my hand on his shoulder. "I am so sorry."

He took in a deep breath, and sighed. "It's all right, I supposed. That's life. That's how it's always going to be. My love life—well, I don't have one. I haven't found the person that could fix me, per se."

Oh, how I wanted to change that; but I kept my mouth shut instead.

"I like you, Lexie. You're different. If that isn't offensive to you on our first date." He said. I was quiet for a moment, because the sexiest human in the entire universe just told me that he liked me, and I was different. I didn't know what his definition of 'different' was, but I was pretty sure it was a good thing. "Great, now I've offended you."

"No, it's fine, really. It's okay. I just," I paused, searching for the right words to say. "You don't know how much that means." I was going to say, '_you don't know how long I've wanted to hear you say that,'_ but that wouldn't end well.

He smiled at me, and for the first time in a long time, I saw that light at the end of the tunnel. We got up and he drove me back to the apartment. He walked me to my front door, and he grabbed my hand. I had to stifle a laugh, because this reminded me of the scene in all the love story movies that I'd watched—and cried over—where the guy and the girl stand there and look at each other like complete morons.

"I had a great time, Lexie." He said with sincerity.

"So did I. Thank you."

He smiled at me and kissed my hand like a gentleman, and left. I watched him out of the window as he drove to his condo, and I squealed like a second grader. I took off my shoes, and slumped up against the front door, thinking that I could very well be the one that could fix him.


	4. Chapter Three: Drama In The Dining Room

The Escapade  
Chapter Three: Drama In The Dining Room

The next day, after I woke and cleaned up, I found LB and Iuka in the living room.

"I didn't even hear you come in last night, when did you come in?" asked LB. I was getting my keys and a quick meal before work.

"I'd say you couldn't hear anything in that soundproof room of yours," I muttered to myself as I brought out the milk. "I came in around eight-thirty."

"What I do of the night when you aren't here is none of your business," she chided. "I get lonely too, you know."

Iruka smiled at her, and I really did not want to know what happened while I was away for two hours. "So, what happened?" he asked. I sat down at the island in the kitchen, and gave them a look. Normally, I was never happy in the mornings, until I straightened myself out.

"We went to dinner. We went to a hotel. We did stuff. I am pregnant. He's moving away today. He doesn't know. I'm screwed." I said seriously, without a breath. It was quiet in the living room for the longest time.

"Really?" LB asked me.

"Yes."

"Are you serious?"

"No."

"That's what I thought. What really happened?"

"He took me to dinner. We went stargazing. I came home. Also, there was a game of twenty questions thrown in there." I said.

"That's so sweet!" she exclaimed, and gave a look to Iruka.

"That's Kakashi for you. He talks about you all the time when I'm with him."

I looked up over my bowl of cereal and raised an eyebrow. "What does he say?"

"That you can cook well," Iruka paused for effect. "And he thinks you're pretty. He thinks you're too good for him though."

I snorted. "Not according to him."

"Hm?"

"He said I was the 'All-American woman.'"

LB laughed, and I glared at her, then she shut up. "All-American woman?"

"Yes. He said, and I quote: 'You like football. You can cook. You can clean, from what I've seen from your house, and you're basically independent. You're the all-American woman.'"

"Reminds me of a burger I ate once," Iruka mused. LB slapped him.

"That wasn't nice." She whispered fiercely.

I sighed. "I'm off to work. I'll see you guys later. If I come home to a broken couch, or if anything in this apartment is broken, one of you is paying next month's rent to me in advance, paying for the broken object, and facing my wrath when I get home." I smiled at them as I stepped out the door. "Have a nice day!" I called.

I heard laughter, and then footsteps up the stairwell as I left. I started my car and drove to work. As soon as I arrived, I noticed a black Ford F150 was not there. I was kind of disappointed, but I knew he had a good time. I opened the door to the diner, walked to the back and clocked in.

"Good afternoon, Lexie." Elaine said as she saw me.

"Good afternoon. How are things today?"

"Slow, so far. But I think things will kick in around one or two. They always do." She replied.

I walked to the dining room and saw no one, so I walked back to the kitchen to talk to Stephen. Stephen was the main cook. Stephen was one of my best friends at the diner, besides Elaine and LB, and I've known him ever since I started working. We were the same age, and graduated together.

"LB said you had a date with that dude," he said while he jumped up on the counter beside of me.

"Kakashi?"

"Guess so. The dude with the gray hair."

"Yep."

"How'd it go?"

"It went pretty well. It's..well, he's actually more than meets the eye."

He punched my arm softly. "Well if you need a backup, I'm always here." He stated solemnly. I smiled at him.

"Thanks," I said, not knowing what to say. I heard a door slam and Stephen and I both looked at each other.

"Kate," we said in unison. Stephen accompanied me to the dining room to see what was going on. We saw Kate at the bar, drumming her fingers nervously and chatting away to one of her friends on her cell phone. She screamed loudly, and then hung up on her friend.

She was obviously annoyed.

"Kate? Honey, what's wrong?" Elaine asked, coming out of the manager's room. She rested a comforting hand on Kate's shoulder but Kate swatted it away.

"Get away from me." She said angrily. This really ticked me off, so I went toward her.

"Hey, don't talk to her like that. Just because you're in some type of 'teenage drama deal' doesn't mean you have to treat your grandmother with disrespect. This is a restaurant for people who want to _eat_ here; this isn't Dr. Phil. You can't take your drama and bring it in here, Kate. If you want to go vent to someone, why don't you talk to your boyfriend? I'm sure he'd listen to you, since he's hanging on your every move." I said sternly. I heard Stephen laugh and Elaine looked at me. I knew she wasn't mad or angry with me; that is probably what she'd always wanted to tell Kate in the first place.

She turned her head toward me slowly, her eyes dark. I wasn't afraid of her, if she tried to fight me. I laughed at her; how could someone act that stupid and be so old? "I don't think you have any right to say anything, Lexie. You're twenty-one, live in an apartment with your best friend and her fiancée, and you work at a diner. You've never been to college, and you just went on a date with some guy with gray hair who is five years older than you are, and works at Wal-Mart. Me? I'm twenty, almost twenty-one, and I _have a love life._" She retorted.

I stared at her.

Best friend and fiancée? Never been to college? What?

I went over to her and grabbed her by the collar. "You don't know what it means to work all of your life. Your mom has given everything to you on a shiny, golden platter and you eat it all up. You probably don't even know what your grandmother's name is do you? Do you know who founded this diner, or why? No, you probably don't. I've had to work since I was sixteen. Maybe I didn't have to, but I wanted to. I wanted to prove myself to my parents that I could be like them and make it on my own. I work two jobs during the summer to pay rent on an apartment, plus what my friend makes. I'm saving up to go to college, and if I don't, that's certainly none of your business. If I want to date a guy who is successful and has gray hair and eats the same dinner everyday at this diner, I will. It isn't your place to screw around with me. I suggest you don't come here again if you want to start your crap. It isn't welcome here anymore."

Elaine looked at me, to Kate, to Stephen—who had his mouth hung open—and then back to Kate. Kate was staring at me like I was stupid, and I let go of her collar and walked back to Stephen.

"Kate, dear, no one said you ever had to come here of the morning in the first place." Elaine said gently. Kate simply stood up and walked out of the diner. She placed her phone up to her ear and began to yell into it. Stephen and I exchanged glances and figured that she was calling up her boyfriend. We walked back into the kitchen and Stephen patted me on the shoulder.

"I didn't think you'd ever do that." He said.

"Do what?"

"Stand up to Kate. She's given you crap all these years and you're just now giving it back."

"Yeah, well, it takes me a while." I said, giving him a slight smile.

I worked the rest of my shift, no sign from Kakashi. I didn't consider us a 'thing' now, because we've only been on one date. I wanted to be Kakashi's significant other—I couldn't get used to the word girlfriend yet—and I hoped he wanted the same with me.

I pulled into the driveway and glanced at the clock—it was six thirty. I glanced down to Kakashi's condo, and saw his truck. I shrugged it off, he probably felt bad or something. I opened the door to the apartment and found LB and Iruka. I felt a strange urge of anger, remembering what Kate said.

"Guys! I need to talk to you." I yelled as I entered.

I saw LB turn around. "What's up?"

I sighed, knowing this might be a touchy subject. "Uhm, actually, I think I might need to talk to Iruka for a moment."  
Iruka turned around and cocked an eyebrow at me. I motioned him into the other room.

"You know Kate, from the diner, right?" I asked.

"The chick that's always giving everyone problems? Elaine's granddaughter?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that's her."

"Yep. Sure do. Why?"

I inhaled sharply. "Well, she ticked me off today so I stood up to her and she said something about 'my best friend and her fiancée.' Are you and LB…?" I trailed off.

He smiled. "I haven't asked her yet. I went into the diner yesterday to ask Elaine about some things. I was going to ask you but you weren't here at the moment."

I exhaled, relieved. "Oh. Because I thought you had already asked her and she or you hadn't told me," I looked down. "Uhm, do you know where Kakashi is?"

He shook his head. "Haven't seen him. He didn't come by today?"

"Nope. Not even for breakfast."

"Hm. I don't know, then." He put his hand on me. "He isn't the type to date someone and leave them hanging, Lexie. He'll come around. Remember the three day rule?"

I gave him a look. "That's only for calling."

His smile faded and I giggled. "Same difference."

I sighed, going into the bathroom as Iruka went back to LB. I took a shower, put some pajamas on, and went to read. I picked up my copy of Romeo and Juliet.

And suddenly, I was jealous of Juliet.


	5. Chapter Four: Haunted

The Escapade

Chapter Four: Haunted

"_I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me." –_Paparazzi; Lady GaGa.

Three days had passed, and still no word from Kakashi. I was getting ready to leave for work again—I had a long shift to pull, I was filling in for Elaine—and I heard a knock on the door. I went downstairs and opened the door, being greeted by Iruka.

"Hey, Iruka, come in. LB isn't here. She's already at work." I said. "Can I get you something?"

"Nah, I have to leave in a few minutes. I just stopped by to give you this. Kakashi gave it to me, looks like I'm the mail carrier around here." He chuckled. I looked at him and laughed, and realized why LB had fallen in love with him in the first place.

"Thanks," I said as he handed me a folded up piece of paper. "I haven't talked to him in a while."

"Ah, I'm sure the note will explain everything."

I feigned a look of shock. "You read my mail, Mr. Umino? That's illegal."

He smirked. "It isn't in a stamped envelope. So, haha."

I smiled at him as he walked out. "I'll tell LB you were here. See you later."

He left, and I found my keys and left after he did. I drove to work, the note bothering me all the way there. I was going to read it at work because God forbid I was to be late on a day where I had to take over. I pulled into the diner, and it started to rain. I laughed desperately. "I wonder if this is a sign," I mused.

I hung up my coat on the rack and took the note out of my pocket. I read it silently.

"_Lexie, I'm sorry I wasn't around for a few days, I had to be out of town. I hope Iruka delivers this to you, if he doesn't, then I'll hurt him," _I could imagine Kakashi's deep voice saying the words as I read them to myself. "_I will try to visit one day, if you don't mind. I'll see you soon. Don't work too hard. –K."_

I put the note back in my pocket and smiled. Things were looking out for me after all.

I went out into the dining room to check on LB and the other waitress, and they were doing fine. I looked around to see if Kate was there, and she wasn't. Stephen and I must have scared her off yesterday. I looked around the dining room once more, and my heart stopped.

He was here.

I didn't know what to do first—run or cry. He looked at me the same time I looked at him, and he smiled at me. I felt my heart ache, then felt a wave of anger. He motioned me to come over, and I stalled for half of a second then walked over. I didn't know what to say first.

"Is your meal good?" I managed to say. He looked at me and nodded.

"Can I talk to you for a second? Outside?" he said. I looked at LB and she smiled; I took it as a notion that she would look over the floor for a minute. I knew this was wrong. I shouldn't be doing this, but I had to be nice.

"How have you been?" he asked me. I was talking to my ex boyfriend, Shane. He had blue eyes and blonde hair, the same as he did when we dated. I thought he would have been out of this town by now, but looks like I was sadly proven wrong. He had dreams of becoming a soldier—ones that I was skeptical on when we were dating. I laughed at myself; I was talking about him to Kakashi and now he shows up.

"Fine." I answered sternly.

"That's good." He replied. This was his game. This is how he played the field. This is how he used to lure me in, but I wasn't falling for it. Not again. I couldn't.

I shifted from one foot to another. "Something you need?"

"Just wanted to talk to you," he paused and looked away. "And wondered if you'd like to grab lunch with me."

Lunch? Grab lunch with him? Was he serious?

"Okay," I heard myself say. "Uhm, hey, I've gotta get back to work. I'm filling in for the manager."

"Oh, sorry. I can come on your break?"

"Yeah, sure. Break is at four-thirty."

"See you then. Bye Lexie."

"Bye, Shane."

What did I just agree to? Was I stupid? God, I was stupid, wasn't I? I walked back into the dining room, and LB shook her head at me. "Stupid Shane. Stupid karma. Stupid conscience. Stupid everything." I muttered.

Four-thirty came too quickly, and before I knew it, I found myself reading the day's paper and drinking a Coke. I looked up when I heard the door open, and saw Shane again. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. This was just like the old days.

"How are you?" he asked as he sat down.

"Fine. Work was rough," I sighed. "It just isn't like it used to be anymore."

"Isn't that the truth?" he said.

"Look, Shane, I don't want to screw around here. Why did you want to see me on my break?" I asked. I figured this was better than nothing.

He sighed, and he didn't speak for a moment. I wondered what was going through his head. I hoped to God he didn't expect me to take him back—after all the lying, the cheating, and whatever else he might have did when we were younger. It may have been a time period of seven years, but I went through hell, and there was no forgiving that. "Are you seeing anyone?" he asked.

I closed my eyes. "Shane—" I began, but he interrupted me.

"Look, Lexie, I know I screwed up when we were younger. I'm sorry. I really am. Please give me another chance. I've changed. I honestly have." He looked down at the floor. "Lexie, you were the only girl who cared for me. I've been searching for you for seven years. I've looked everywhere for you, and now that I found you; I don't want to lose you. Not again. Please, Lexie, you have to understand the situation I'm in. It's just—"

"Situation? What _situation_ could you possibly be in, Shane? Get a girlfriend or the world is going to blow up? Is this some kind of joke? Is the apocalypse coming?"

"No, Lexie, please just—"

"No, Shane. I was the rebound girl before, and I'm still the rebound girl."

"You are not!" he threw his hands up in the air. "God, Lex, don't be stupid."

"Oh, I'm stupid? Says the man who cheated on me _twice_ with my _best friends_."

"That was seven years ago!"

"You're so contradicting!" I slammed the paper down on the counter. "Christ, Shane. You've wasted seven years of your life. Go and get it back."

"I don't want it without you." He said. He pulled me toward him and kissed me hardly, and I pushed him away in time so that he only caught half of my cheek. I heard the door open again, and saw the figure of a man. I looked up.

Black shoes.

Black jeans.

White shirt.

White hair.

Blue eyes.

Kakashi.

I swallowed hard. The phrase "it isn't what it looks like," never sounded more cliché to me. He slammed the door of the diner, leaving the remnants of my heart behind.


	6. Chapter Five: All I Can Do

The Escapade  
Chapter Five: All I Can Do  
**A/N: Contains a Umineko reference by request. If you don't understand, it's okay. I don't either.**

I turned to look at Shane; a dead, lifeless glare shot through my eyes that I hope would shoot straight to his heart and kill him instantly. He looked at me, and left the diner. I sat there staring at nothing for about fifteen minutes, until I felt the presence of a hand on my shoulder. LB gave me a look.

"Go," she commanded. "Go after him. I'll watch over the diner. Everything will be okay. Just go."

"Thanks." I said softly. She smiled at me, and I went to my car again. It started to drizzle rain, and I saw gray clouds heading toward me in the distance. I didn't know where Kakashi would be. I didn't even know why I had agreed to talk with Shane on my break in the first place. I've made some mistakes before—some pretty bad ones, too—not like this. I wondered if Kakashi would speak to me again.

I pulled up to a red light, looking around for a black Ford. There was none in sight. The rain caught up with me and it came down in waves. I could barely see. If it was one thing I took back after my mom, It was despising driving in the rain. Mom hated to drive in the dark, through bad conditions, and especially the rain. We all had bad eyesight, me being the worst.

I looked back in my rear view mirror, and I was the only one on the road. I laughed at myself out loud, because I certainly didn't want to cry. I was stupid to be out on the road in these conditions, and I was stupid to even talk to Shane. I was stupid then, I was stupid now. Nothing ever changed for me, did it? There was no leeway; I couldn't talk myself out of this one. I couldn't just go up to Kakashi and tell him that Shane tried to kiss me—which he had—but whose fault was it to where he would be there in the first place?

Mine.

It was always my fault. No matter if it weren't my fault, I would take blame for everything. I was stupid, I was foolish, I made mistakes. But that was all that I knew how to do.

The rain came down heavier, and I turned my high beams on so I could actually decipher out something in the distance. I saw trees, and actually heard one crack behind me. I was still following the speed limit, but I was also debating on whether to speed up or slow down in order to catch Kakashi in time. I'd made up my mind, I would still try to follow him or find him, even if he wasn't at home. I was checking his house first, because I knew he wasn't stupid enough to drive in the rain.

After all, only idiots would do this. And I was one mighty fine example, if anything.

I decided to slow down a bit, and bring back my speed to forty-five miles per hour. I saw something in ahead of me, I didn't know what it was so I swerved to the left to try and dodge it because I thought it moved. I felt the back tires of my car start to slide, and the front ones. I hastily shifted to neutral gear and try to jackknife my wheel to get some traction—which didn't work. I was heading toward the guardrail. I had a few feet to go before I actually hit it. I wasn't stupid enough to slam on the brakes, because I knew that would automatically throw me in the windshield. I let out a few words that I knew my mom and dad wouldn't be proud of.

"God help me," I whispered to myself. I was a few feet from the guardrail and just decided to slam on the brakes. If I was going to die, I was going to die either way. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact.

Which didn't happen.

I kept my eyes closed until I felt safe, and felt my heart beating. I was alive. The front end of my car barely scraped the guardrail. I started laughing again.

I was so dramatic.

I put the car in reverse and started to drive back again, heading toward Kakashi's condo. I smiled when I saw that his truck was there in the driveway. I pulled in front and got out in the pouring rain. I walked up to the door and banged on it.

"Kakashi! It's me! I know you're in there. I can see your—"

I noticed a window was open, so I stood below the window. "Kakashi! I need to talk to you. Let me in, its Lexie!"

No answer.

I felt my heart drop.

"Kakashi! Please! Just one minute, that's all I want!" I yelled. I wondered if he could hear me, and if he could, he was ignoring me. If he couldn't, the rain was surely loud or he had worse hearing than I did. I banged on the door again, and heard nothing. I didn't have any paper or a pen with me, so I couldn't write a note. I couldn't call him because I didn't have his number. I felt the note in my pocket that Iruka had given me earlier, and I started to cry. I stood out in his yard for a good five minutes; I was soaked, but I didn't care. No one would know I was crying anyway, because the rain and my tears were mixed.

I didn't bother to go back to the diner; LB called my cell phone and said she had it under control. Elaine came back early and sent everyone home, LB included. I told her that I wanted to be left alone for the time being and she understood.

I grabbed my phone and called up the only person I could bear to talk to at a time like this.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, Julie. It's Lex—"

"_IT'S ALL USELESS!"_ I heard a voice in the background say. I heard Julie laugh, then apologize. _"Sorry about that, he's being stupid. God, I haven't heard from you in a long time. What's up?"_

"I have a problem. And you're the only person I could bear to talk to."

"_Problem? Okay."_

"There's this guy that I met at the diner. His name is Kakashi. We went out on a date to get to know each other—"

"_IT'S ALL USELESS!" _The voice said again. Julie growled under her breath and I heard her sit the phone down. I took the phone away from my ear, just in case.

"_BATORA! YOU BETTER SHUT UP OR I'MMA HIT YOU WITH MY GOLDEN STICK!" _I laughed to myself. She always made me feel better. _"You were saying something about a date?"_

_"_We got to know each other on the date. So he gave me a note and said that he'd be up here soon to talk with me. Today, I was at the diner, and Shane was there. I agreed stupidly to talk with him for a few minutes, and he tried to kiss me and I pushed him away, and right at that moment Kakashi stepped in. He flew out of the diner so I got in my car to chase him home, almost ran into the guardrail because the roads were slick, and I went to his condo. I yelled at him from his yard and he refused to let me in and now I'm on the phone with you."

"_Shane is stupid, Lexie." _She stated. "_Who is his friend? Maybe he can talk to Kakashi for him."_

"Iruka. He's with LB now. They're engaged, but don't say anything to LB about it yet. She doesn't know. He hasn't asked."

"_Iruka. I remember him. Nice fellow. You can try talking to Iruka. That's what I would do."_

"Okay. Thanks, Julie. Tell Batora I said hey. Try coming up sometime, we'd love to have you for dinner."

"_I'll try my best. And Lexie?_

_"_Yeah?"

"_Don't ever have over-baked apples."_

"I'll try not to. Bye."

After getting off the phone with Julie, I decided to go see Iruka. He was already here, sitting at the dining room table, doing some homework, I supposed.

"Iruka? Can I talk to you?"

He looked up at me and smiled, and closed his book. "Sure thing. What's up?"

"I had a date with Kakashi, as you already know. Today, at the diner, my ex boyfriend showed up. I was stupid, agreed to talk to him on my break, and he kissed me. I pushed him back far away so that he only caught half of my cheek, but as soon as I did, Kakashi walked in. I looked at him, and he got in his truck and drove off. I followed him to his condo and almost hit the guardrail because I was being stupid. I went to his condo and tried talking to him through an open window, he ignored me, and I came back here." I paused, almost crying, but I stopped myself. "I don't know what to do, Iruka."

Iruka looked at me and sighed. "There's something you should know. Lexie, he means well. He really does. He likes you a lot. When I say a lot, I really do mean a lot. He's never been married, and the only girlfriend he had was the only one he dated in high school who screwed around with him. I know that you probably know that you hurt him, so I'm not going to go there. Kakashi had feelings for you. Really strong feelings. I'll talk to him, and I'll set him straight. I promise. You two deserve to be happy, and to be happy together. That's all you can do, Lexie."


	7. Chapter Six: Insanity

The Escapade

Chapter Six: Insanity

That night, I stayed up for hours in my room. All I would do is cry and scream, and LB or Iruka didn't bother to talk to me—they knew what was wrong. I was through pretending, holding back all of these emotions. They came out like wildfire, spreading deep within me. There was a hole now where my heart used to be—and it consumed me. I was lost. I couldn't turn back. Iruka gave me his word that he would talk to Kakashi, and I didn't doubt him. The only thing I feared most was what Kakashi would do. Would he agree to hear me out? Or would he leave? The only thing I could do was to hope for the best.

The next morning, LB and I didn't have to work. LB and Iruka went to the library because they had to study—is that what they call it nowadays? Anyway, I noticed we were low on crucial items of food, so I made myself get up and get dressed. After putting on some decent clothes, I looked out the window. It was raining, and those same gray clouds even stayed here overnight. Suddenly, a cold chill ran through me, as if telling me news—news that I didn't already know. I sighed to myself and shrugged, and I didn't even bother to look at Kakashi's condo because I knew it would hurt too much to look. What was the use, after all? If he was or wasn't there, it wasn't like I could do anything anyway.

I went downstairs to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. The apartment, for once, was empty other than myself. My hands hit the cold counter, and I realized that I never felt so alone in my entire life. There was no one here, other than myself. No one was going to save me. No one could change things. The endless amount of self-pity was getting me nowhere, and it wasn't making me feel better either. I splashed water from the kitchen sink on my face, and man, was it cold. I needed this—some type of wake up call that would make me go back to my senses. I knew that I was getting close to giving up.

"This has to end. You're going insane, Lexie. Look at yourself. You're falling apart when you shouldn't be. You're ridiculous. Get ahold of yourself." I muttered, slamming my fist down on the cold counter. Taking in a deep breath, I realized I would be okay—until it hit me again.

I ate a quick breakfast meal, and got my keys. I walked out into the pouring rain, aloft were the gray sky and its clouds to match. Again, I had to scold myself from looking at Kakashi's condo. I turned on the radio, and I couldn't even find a decent radio station to listen to. I hoped today would be better than yesterday, or yesterday night. There weren't that many people out, I noticed, as I turned into the parking lot of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart wasn't that badly overflowing with people—after all, I've shopped on Black Friday. I pulled my car into a space, got out, and walked in.

I realized, after going straight to the grocery aisle, that I didn't even make a list of what I needed. I pulled out my cell phone and called LB.

"Hey, hope I didn't bother you or anything," I said while pushing my shopping cart down the frozen food section.

"Nope, I'm helping Iruka study. What's up?" she said.

"Studying? Is that what they call it these days?" I felt myself smirk and laughed.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Lexie. We're on public property."

"Whatever floats your boat. I'm al Wal-Mart, do you want anything specific to eat?" I asked. I turned the corner into another frozen food aisle and stopped dead in my tracks. LB was saying something, and I vaguely heard Iruka say hi before I started to shake. "I gotta go." I said, then hung up.

Kakashi was right in front of me, looking at the frozen food. His hair was messed up a little, and I felt myself smile even though I really shouldn't have. He was in a pair of sweatpants and a gray t-shirt—one that complimented all too well. His icy blue eyes flickered over toward me and I felt my heart stop beating inside my chest. I didn't know if I should say something or keep moving.

After all, we had to talk about this sooner or later, right?

"Lexie," he barely whispered, but I could hear him. I stayed right where I was, I couldn't trust myself to move or speak. My heart was racing like mad now, and I felt my hands tremble against the cold steel of the shopping cart. "Iruka," he cleared his throat, "talked to me yesterday night."

There was slight feeling in his voice but I knew the bitterness behind it wasn't about to go away anytime soon.

Not until this was figured out completely.

I nodded. "Yes. I-I asked him to." My voice was clearly shaking, and I knew I had to get away. I shut my eyes for a brief moment.

"Would you mind coming over to my place later?" he asked. He smiled at me, and I remembered Iruka's words. "I'm fairly certain that this isn't the correct time or place." He gestured toward the back of me, and I realized I was blocking the aisle. I moved my cart and myself over to the left, directly beside Kakashi.

"Sure, I'd love to." I tried my best not to sound excited, but in reality, I was. He nodded at me and turned to leave, but stopped.

"Oh, Lexie?" I heard him call. I turned around.

"Yes?"

He looked in my eyes. "I don't hate you."

I smiled and continued to shop for the time being.

LB and Iruka were there when I arrived back home. They helped me put the groceries up and Iruka turned to me while setting the milk in the refrigerator.

"I talked to Kakashi last night." He said.

"I know, I saw him at Wal-Mart today. He invited me over to dinner so we could talk about it."

"Dinner? I thought you two were mad?" LB asked me, raising an eyebrow. "Gee, you two don't stay mad at each other for long."

"I was never mad at him. He was the one who stormed at the diner. Not that I blame him, though. I would have done the same thing." I sighed. "I hope this isn't some type of 'look-I-like-you-and-all-but-we-can't-be-together dinner."

Iruka laughed. "Kakashi isn't the type to do that. He's liked you for too long. Trust me."

An hour or so passed, and I just decided to walk to Kakashi's place—after all, it wasn't that far away. I changed my outfit into something more non-casual—a pair of khaki pants and a blue polo shirt. I took two deep breaths before knocking on the door. Kakashi was leaned up against the doorframe, just like he had leaned up against the counter at the diner. He'd changed his outfit as well. He wore a pair of jeans and a button down shirt. The smirk on his face was priceless.

"I hope I didn't come too early? Or late?" I managed to say.

"You're right on time," he said. As if on cue, the timer on the stove rang, and he opened the door farther. "Come in."

I took my shoes off at the door and stepped inside. His condo was far better looking than the apartment LB and I shared. It was larger, I could tell, and it was neater. The walls were painted white and had crown molding. The furniture was delicately placed, and it was as if everything in the condo flowed together. Something I noticed off the bat was that Kakashi had no pictures on his wall; at least, no pictures of his family. I wondered why secretly, but I wasn't about to ask. Especially being on odd terms with him.

He went into the kitchen and turned off the stove, and I stood in awe. His kitchen was beautiful—the walls were painted a tan color, followed by the same crown molding that continued throughout the house as far as I could tell. His appliances were sublime to my own—they looked new and were stainless steel. His floor was maple hardwood, and even I was afraid to walk on it.

"Your kitchen is beautiful," I said.

He laughed. "I renovated the kitchen last year, I believe. It was hard, but worth it." He directed me to the dining room table, and I sat down. "I hope you like what I fixed, by the way. I'm certainly not a chef, but I can make some pretty mean spaghetti."

"Spaghetti is fine with me," I said. I took my first bite, and the food was delicious. I tried not to wolf it down because it was so good, but I couldn't help myself at times. We made small talk during dinner—avoiding the run-in at Wal-Mart conversation until a later time. I offered to do the dishes when we were finished, but he said he would get to them later. After dinner, we sat out on the back porch in his swing.

"So, I heard Iruka's side of the story," he finally said. "Want to tell me?"

I sighed. "Shane was the guy that I was with at the diner. I came into work that morning because I had to fill in for Elaine, the manager. I went out in the dining room to see if everything was okay, and there he was. He motioned me to come over, so I did. He said he wanted to talk to me after break, so I was stupid enough to agree to it." I clenched my fists as I spoke. "I was on break, and Shane came in. We argued, just like we always did when we were together. Shane was the guy that I told you about that I had a relationship in high school with who cheated on me twice. Anyway, he got pretty irritated at me, so he took me by the face and tried to kiss me. I pushed him away far enough so that he only caught half of my cheek, and that's when you walked in. I was going to tell you that it wasn't what it looked like, but that sounded too cliché to me. You drove off, and I left the diner in LB's hands. I went to my car and tried to guess where you were. I was driving down the road because I was half crying and half stupid, and I almost hit the guardrail. I went to your condo and tried to talk to you, which didn't work. So, I went home and asked Iruka if he would talk to you for me. He agreed to, and I went home and cried for the rest of the night." I sighed again. "Kakashi, I never meant to hurt you, I honestly didn't. Shane was being stupid. I was stupid to agree to see him on my break. I understand if you hate me or never want to see me again. If you want to eat at the diner, feel free to. I don't want you missing breakfast because of me."

That was all I could say.

And that was all I could do.

Kakashi looked up at the sky for a long time before replying.

"Lexie, I never should have walked off. I never should have come to conclusions that quickly. I don't hate you and I'm still going to come to your diner whether you want me to or not." He smiled at me. "The truth is, I really like you. And, knowing Iruka, he probably already told you that."

I laughed. "Yes, once or twice, he has."

"Ah, Iruka ratted me out again, I see."

I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't even know how to respond when he said that he liked me.

What was I, a kindergartner?

"Lexie," he took my hand in his. "I'm sorry for the way I've acted. It was foolish. But I..would like to know if..you'd—well, if we could you know, start seeing each other?" he asked. I looked at him for about five minutes in disbelief.

Kakashi? Nervous? Asking me to be his girlfriend? That didn't really belong in the same sentence.

I felt tears well up in my eyes. "Kakashi, you have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that."

He brought me toward him, and kissed me gently. "I think I've waited longer."


	8. Chapter Seven: Change

The Escapade  
Chapter Seven: Change**  
A/N: I hope everyone had a good holiday!**

"_Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." –_Mark Twain.

* * *

"I haven't saw you this happy since you landed the job at the diner," LB told me as I was dancing around the apartment. She twirled her black hair around her finger and smiled at me. I only laughed at her and continued to dance around.

"That was quite a long time ago." I said. It was mid-morning on a Sunday, and for the first time in a long time; Iruka wasn't here to see LB. I really didn't mind that he came over, really; but he was probably getting cobwebs at his place because he was never there.

"Five years," she said. "We're getting old."

"Our lives have just begun, LB."

"Says the woman who is dating a twenty-six-year-old man with gray hair," she retorted. I couldn't help but to smile at the fact that Kakashi and I were dating now.

"He isn't old. His gray hair is hereditary." I defended. I really didn't know that for a fact, but if I had to guess, it probably was. Even though Kakashi was five years older than I was, neither of us minded. After all, age is just a number, right?

"If you say—" LB started but the phone rang and cut her off. I danced over to the telephone and looked at the ID. I looked at the ID in confusion. _Elaine?_ I thought. I picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" I asked weirdly.

"Lexie? This is Elaine, I hope you didn't mind me calling you."

"Not at all."

"If you aren't doing anything at the moment, I need to speak to you and Laura Beth urgently at the diner. It is quite important." She said. She sounded serious and I raised an eyebrow at LB, who reciprocated the action.

"Sure, we'll be there in a minute. Thanks, Elaine." I said, and then hung up. LB turned to me as she put her shoes on. I grabbed the keys. "We have to go see Elaine. She said it was 'quite important' and we need to be there 'urgently'."

She had a look in her eye that I really couldn't place—like she knew something I didn't and refused to tell me. If she did, I was _so_ going to kill her when we returned to the apartment.

We reached the diner in less than five minutes and we walked in. Elaine was behind the counter, staring daggers at LB and I. I was kind of taken aback at this; of all the years I'd worked there, Elaine was never mad. She didn't come off as hostile, and she always tried to resolve things in a kind manner. My first guess was that Kate had something to do with this, but Kate was nowhere to be found.

"Laura Beth, Lexie, please sit down." She said. She went into the back room and brought out the safe—which was unlocked and ransacked. I gasped and I instantly broke out into a cold sweat. "Do you girls mind explaining? Laura Beth said that you had a problem to take care of, Lexie, and left the diner in her hands. Is this true?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"You had a problem and left the diner in an employee's hands when she is not certified to be placed as a manager. I assumed you or Laura Beth had automatically locked everything up and that's when I met everyone in the parking lot and I told everyone that they could go home. Everything was locked, that was true. But someone broke into the safe and stole the money."

I looked down. God, what did I do?

LB looked at me and turned to speak to Elaine. "How did they get in? Wasn't the front door locked?"

"Yes. The front door was locked. But the back door wasn't. I checked the back door too. The old thing gets stuck easily if it isn't locked. I couldn't move it, but I assumed it was locked. Whoever broke in must have kicked it down. No windows were broken, either."

I looked at Elaine. I really didn't know what to say.

"Lexie, you and Laura Beth have been my best workers for quite some time. Everyone here adores you two, and I love having you around. But, since I was not here at the time, you two are going to be held responsible for this. I have no other choice but to fire you, Lexie. Laura Beth, you will be suspended from work until I say otherwise."

I sighed. I handed her my keys and she gave me the possessions that I had in my locker in the back rooms. "I enjoyed my time here, Elaine. And I'm sorry that this happened because of my behavior. I hope everything goes well for you here." I turned and left, taking LB with me.

The car ride home was silent. LB and I didn't really say a word to one another, and none of us really bothered to talk about it. I wondered why she suspended LB and fired me, but it was out of my hands now. If I could get a job, I wondered where I could go. I was twenty-one with an advanced studies diploma from high school, I knew it would get me somewhere, at least.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, which brought me back to my reality from deep thinking for a moment or two. It was a text message from Julie, and I opened it. _'I just forked Shane's yard. You're welcome.'_ it said. I had to laugh at that, it made me feel a lot better.

I fixed dinner for myself around five thirty that evening, and sat down on the couch to watch some television. LB came into the living room and sat down beside of me.

"Iruka and I are going out to dinner. Are you going to be all right by yourself? I know how you get." She said. I looked up at her—this must have been one _serious_ dinner date. She had on a red dress with a black lace overlaying cardigan and high heel shoes. Her black hair was curled and she wore makeup. I smiled at her.

"You look nice. And yes, I will be fine. I'm probably going to call my mom and talk to her, then start looking for a job." I said. My teeth clenched around the word 'job' and I saw sympathy in her eyes.

"It wasn't fair that she only suspended me and fired you. I can leave if you want me to."

"No, you deserve to be there. It wasn't you that screwed up in the first place."

"If you say so."

"I do say so. Now, go on and have some fun with Iruka." I said, basically pushing her out of the doorway. "I'll be fine. Scout's honor." I waved at her as she got into Iruka's car. The horn beeped as I went back inside. I finished eating and I called my mom after I did the dishes.

"_Hello?"_ my mom answered.

"Hey, mom. It's me. Are you busy? I need someone to talk to."

"_Nope, not at all. What's your problem?"_

"I got fired today."

"_What? Fired? From Elaine's? Why?"_

"Because of my..escapade, I guess." I rolled my eyes. "She suspended LB and fired me, since I was the one holding manager's position at the time. Someone broke in and stole the money from the safe."

"_Did you leave your keys?"_

"No. I don't think I did. They might've brought some tools with them or something. I don't know. Anyway, I'm fired. I'm jobless. I'm sitting on my couch watching television and talking to you, and I'm a bum."

"_You aren't a bum, Lexie. You were fired. It happens to all of us. There are many places hiring, you could get a job in no time. Have you paid your rent for this month?"_

"Yeah. I went ahead and paid it already, out of the last paycheck."

"_At least you won't have to worry about that. If there's anything else you need help with, call your dad or me. Or call your grandparents. We'll all help you."_

"I know."

"_I've got to go, your dad is home and if he doesn't have his dinner, you know how he is. I'll talk to you later on tonight. Don't get out of heart, I promise it will work out for the best."_

"Alright. Love you. Bye."

I decided to clean the apartment after I got off the phone with my mom. I never realized how dirty the place was until I actually started to clean. I mopped the floors, polished the furniture, and did some laundry and only three hours had passed. I sat down in front of my television again, not knowing what to do. Then the phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, love. It's me."_ I heard Kakashi say. I sat down on my bed and curled up into a ball.

"Hey. What are you up to?"

"_I just got off from work. Are you busy? I hope I didn't bother you."_

Jeez, how many times in one day was I going to hear that sentence? The last thing I needed was something to go wrong with Kakashi and I.

"No, I'm fine. Everything's fine." I lied. "What's up?"

"By the way, Iruka is going to propose to LB tonight," he mentioned. "I got called to the manager's office today at work."

_Haha, so did I,_ I wanted to say. "What did they say?"

"_He wants me to train the new manager at another store and show him the ropes. Then he wants me to take over at the store until the new manager's wife has her baby. I'm going to be out of town for awhile."_

My blood ran cold. "How long?"

I heard him sigh deeply in the background. _"Six weeks."_

I felt tears escape my eyes as he said that, and I tried my best not to sound like I was crying. I went silent for a moment, but I regained some form of composure. "That's not bad. It could be longer."

"_Yes. I'm coming back on a Friday, though. I promise to call you when I can. I'm leaving out tomorrow."_

"Is there any way I could see you before you leave?"

"_I can come over tomorrow morning, if you'd like."_

"That's fine."

"_Okay. I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well, love."_

"You, too."

We didn't bother to say goodbye. Not because we wanted to hear it, but because we knew it would hurt too much.


	9. Chapter Eight: Nonrenewable Resources

The Escapade  
Chapter Eight: Nonrenewable Resources  
**A/N: I love how everyone thinks that Kate was the one who stole the money from the safe and got Lexie [who is based upon myself for those who did not know] fired and LB suspended. It wasn't her, kids. Guess again! :D  
**_"I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing. With a broken heart that's still beating. In the pain there is healing. In your name I find meaning. I'm still holding on. I'm barely holding on to you." –Broken; Lifehouse.  
_

* * *

The first week passed since I was fired from the diner and Kakashi had to be out of town. I started looking for a job that next day and I was hired on that same day. Turns out I now work at a clothing store and I'm over the accounting part of the management. It wasn't really what I wanted to do, but I had to find somewhere to be. I had to find somewhere to work or else I'd be behind on my rent for the apartment and everything else I had to take care of. LB started going to Iruka's more often now that they were engaged. She told me that they were already starting to look for a place to live. I could only smile and be happy for her at the time. On a day that LB had off and my break from work, we went to Starbucks for lunch.

"Everything at the diner is going okay; Stephen misses you a lot. Kate hardly ever comes in. Elaine thinks it was her who stole the money from the safe but Kate's never around to say whether she did or not. Speaking of people who aren't around, where's Kakashi? I haven't saw him in a while." She said, taking a sip of her latte and looking at me. I felt my heart drop as she said his name. It was one thing getting fired from your job, but it was another thing to get fired from your job and your boyfriend calling you, telling you he's going to be out of town for six weeks _all on the same day._

"A while after you left for your date with Iruka, he called me. I didn't tell him about me getting fired because he only had so much time to be on the telephone. He said that he was going out of town. He came over the next morning and I told him everything, though." I said. I flipped through the magazine that was beside of me and I took a bite of my cookie.

"For how long?"

I couldn't meet her eyes. "Six weeks."

She sighed and reached over to the magazine I was flipping through and snapped it closed. "So you were fired and found out that he had to leave town on the same night? That's horrible, Lexie. I'm sorry."

I shrugged it off, acting like it was nothing even though it was most definitely _something._ "It's fine. Things happen, right? I mean, that's the business world for you. He's just doing what needs to be done."

She looked sternly at me. "Not everything is black and white, Lex."

I shrugged again, not feeling all that into talking about it. "I know. But I miss him, you know? I feel like I've known him forever even though I really haven't, and I'm having distance problems."

"It's natural. I feel lonely when I'm away from Iruka."

"You guys are engaged."

"So? You're dating Kakashi. It doesn't really make a difference. Speaking of which, I look for Kakashi to propose soon. He seems really into—"

At that moment, my cell phone rang. I unhooked it from the holder on my belt loop and looked at the caller ID. Kakashi. I looked at LB and smiled.

"Hello?" I answered.

"_Hello, love."_ His husky voice answered. I could have sworn I felt him smile through the receiver. I heard voices in the background—ones that I guessed were the people at the store Kakashi had to work with.

"You sound busy. I hope it wasn't a hassle to call me or anything." I said.

He laughed that throaty laugh of his and I felt my heart expand. It was so nice to hear from him again. He came over the morning he was supposed to leave, and we sat and talked about different things. I made him breakfast—still his favorite meal from the diner—and I gave him coffee and the day's paper. We sat at the dinner table and talked, a lot about his trip and I told him that I was fired from the diner. I cried a little, and I was really embarrassed to cry in front of him. He brought me into his arms and told me everything was going to be all right.

After that, I knew it would be all right.

"_Of course not. How have you been? I'm lonely without you." _He said passionately. I heard the voices fade out until I couldn't hear them anymore. I took a wild guess that he was in a room of his own. "_Had to leave the break room. They might hear us."_

"I've been all right. I found a job, luckily. I'm over the accounting parts."

"_That's great!"_ he exclaimed. I smiled. "_I'm proud of you. I knew you could find somewhere to work. She's ridiculous for letting you go, love. You were an amazing waitress."_

"You just liked the outfit," I smirked.

He laughed again. "_Yes, that too. But I mostly admired your determination. You stayed there for so long, despite some of the circumstances that came up. You were nice to everyone. Including the gray haired man that always ordered the same thing for breakfast."_

"Ah, yes. That gray haired man is quite a character."

"_Yes, yes he is."_

"How is work going?" I asked as LB left the table to get another drink. I gave her a dollar to get me another cookie. I heard him sigh in the background, and a chair squeak. I imagined him sitting at a desk, leaned back in the chair with his feet on the desk. I nearly spit out my drink at this mental imagery before laughing to myself.

"_It's going well, I suppose. The guy is a slow learner. I'm trying to be patient, really; but I can only take so much. His wife that I mentioned to you about? She's due anytime, basically. She has some sort of disease or something wrong with her so they put her in early to monitor the baby and herself, I guess. He didn't tell me much; I heard it from other workers here."_

"Disease?"

"_That's the word around the water cooler."_

"That's quite something. I hope everything is all right."

"_So do I. I think she'll be all right, though. Well, the manager is motioning for me to get off the phone, so I have to go. I'll call you again soon. Be careful. Try not to miss me so much."_

I snorted. "Hah, that's impossible. Have fun. Try not to work too hard."

"_I'll try not to."_

"Alrighty. Bye." I said. I almost pushed the 'END' button on my cell phone, but I heard Kakashi say my name. I put the phone up to my ear.

"_Lexie?"_

_"_Yes?"

There was silence for about two seconds. "_I love you."_

I felt every nerve in my body tingle as he said that, and I knew I was smiling so hard that my jaws would hurt next week. "I love you too."

The call ended, and I knew that I would be radiating happiness for the next seven years. LB returned to the table and cocked an eyebrow at me. She grabbed her purse and her drink.

"What are you so happy about?" she asked. We walked out of Starbucks and I reached for the keys to my car. I opened my mouth to speak but I pointed to a note that was attached to my windshield wiper. I unfolded it, and I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that it wasn't some sort of ticket. The handwriting was very hard to read; some sort of cursive I couldn't decipher. It took me a few seconds to remember the handwriting. I froze in place.

"LB. Go to my mom and dad's house and make sure they're all right. After that, go to the diner. You'll get there before I will. Call me on my cell phone if something is wrong, and call me if there isn't." I commanded. I looked at the note.

"_Don't play with fire. You're going to get burned. I'll try not to spend this all in one place."_ It said.

I'd recognize that handwriting anywhere.

The same writing that was in my freshmen year of high school yearbook.

The same writing that played me all along.

Shane.

The same Shane who tried to make a move. The same Shane who stole the money. And the same Shane that was now threatening something in my life.

I started the car in a matter of half of a second and jettisoned out of the parking lot of Starbucks. LB was following behind me out of the parking lot until she went the way toward my mom and dad's house. I was definitely doing over the speed limit, and I remembered how ungracefully I had scraped the guardrail on my way to Kakashi's condo. I called work and told them that I would be back in late; my manager said she didn't mind. I was halfway to the apartment when LB called me.

"Is everything all right?" I asked. I didn't even bother to say hello, which made me laugh weirdly.

"_The diner is fine. Your parents are fine. Everything is cool."_ She said.

I slapped the steering wheel with my bare hand and mumbled a few words under my breath. "All right. Thanks, LB. I'll call you back if I know anything." I said, then hung up. I thought about what I would do if something happened. Everything I really needed that couldn't be replaced was either at my parents, or in my car. It seemed like forever to drive to the apartment, until I realized the road was being blocked. There were multiple fire trucks and a few police cars spread across the street, but I saw the main fire truck sitting down lower on the street. I parked the car and cut it off, taking my keys and purse with me. When I reached the place that the firemen were spraying water at, I dropped to my knees.

It was my apartment being engulfed in gray smoke, red and orange flames, and a sense of knowing that could never be replaced.


	10. Chapter Nine: Condemnation

The Escapade  
Chapter Nine: Condemnation

**A/N: The scene where Lexie [or, myself] breaks down is actually based on a true event. The fire, however, did not happen in real life to my house. Not yet anyway. I haven't learned how to cook well enough to set fire to anything. :) By the way, the name with the asterisk is a fake name. It isn't my real name. So don't stalk me, or the chick that possibly has the name. Or the guy who has Shane's name either. It's completely coincidental.  


* * *

**Shane set fire to my apartment.

How hard was this for me to comprehend? How hard was this for me to understand? It wasn't hard at all; it most certainly wasn't. The apartment complex was made up of three apartments; luckily there was no one else in the complex but LB and I. The other tenants couldn't afford the rent, I supposed, so they found somewhere else to live. Rent was the last thing on my mind.

Where was I going to go?

After the fire was put out, I stared at the apartment I used to call home for four years. It was gone. All of it was gone. The whole thing wasn't gone, but everything—my furniture, my possessions—_my home was gone. _ I saw a man dressed in firefighter clothing, and I automatically assumed he was either the Captain or the Fire Marshall. He turned and looked at me; the sympathy in his eyes was more than I could bear at the time.

"Was this your apartment, Miss…?" he trailed off. I noticed the past tense.

"Yes. Yes, I rented for four years with my roommate. Rivers. Alexandria Rivers.*" I reached my hand out to him and we shook hands. His grip was firm and manly, and I was suddenly reminded of Kakashi.

"I am sorry about the loss of your home, Miss Rivers. It is a complete shame. Do you have any place to stay for the time being? I can put you in contact with a local shelter of some sort." He asked.

"Yes, my parents live not too far from here. Thank you." I said. He handed me some papers and a pen and I began to fill them out.

"I'm going to have to ask you to fill out some paperwork. I am not one of joy to tell you but I have to condemn the apartment complex."

"These situations do arise, I suppose." I stated blankly. I handed him back the paperwork and the pen, and he stuffed it into a manila folder he had in the other hand. He gave the file a quick once-over then raised his eyebrow at me.

"Were you having trouble with the apartment beforehand? Any electrical problems of any kind?"

"No, the apartment was fine," I said. I reached into my pocket to dig out the note that Shane had placed on my car earlier. "Here. It was arson. This note was placed on my car."

"So your apartment was set on fire on purpose?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"I'll send the sheriff to talk to you, Miss Rivers. Thank you."

The Fire Marshall walked away and I saw him shake hands with the sheriff of the local police department. They stood next to the place that I used to call home. The structure of the building was half there; wooden planks of two-by-fours were falling in, gray smoke still covered part of what I used to call my living room, and ash was found throughout of the apartment from what I could see. The white paint of the exterior was chipping and crumbling over the contact made by the faint breeze, and I caught a chill. I shook my head at the mess that was feet away from me.

Why?

Five minutes had passed and the sheriff walked over to talk to me. She—yes, the sheriff was a woman—handed me some quick paperwork to fill out while she talked to me. I told her everything I knew: the note on my car, the relationship between Shane and I, and the incident at the diner. She nodded and said that she understood, and we talked some more. After a few minutes, she shook my hand and told me that everything would be okay—which I had a hard time believing. The police and the fire department cleared the area and went back to regular duty. I walked back to my car, brought out my cell phone, and dialed LB's number.

"LB, it's me. I hope you have somewhere or someone to stay with. Shane burned the apartment down." I said in a complete monotone voice.

"_Yeah, I can stay with Iruka. Most of my clothes were over there anyway. God, I can't believe he did that. Do you have anywhere to go? You're welcome to stay with Iruka and I." _

"I'm going to go to my parents house until I can get things straightened out and find a new apartment or if I can talk to Kaka—" I cut myself off quick before I even said his name. "I'll be fine. I'm going to go, I'm going to stop by a few stores and get some things. I'll call you later." I said, not waiting for an answer and hanging up. I wasn't really going to go anywhere but my mom and dad's house.

I drove to my old home in silence. I parked the car out front and walked to the back door, knowing that the front gate was always locked. My parents weren't home so I dug my key out of my purse and opened the door. I looked around—everything was as it was back when I was in high school. My mom still had her porcelain rooster figurines everywhere, my dad's odd obsession with toy cars, and my old certificates and awards from school, which were taped onto the cabinet doors of the pantry. Some were fading, but some were still intact. I had one that even went back to when I was in first grade. I looked at each one of them carefully—some had my 'outstanding performance average'; 'honor roll'; 'dean's list', and more.

I went back to where my old room was. I pushed aside the glow-in-the-dark beads that were strung across the door frame and switched on the light. My room was the same as it was; my parents never did a thing to my room after I had moved out. Three of my walls were still painted the same navy blue, along with a burgundy accent wall and ceiling to match. The carpet—which was older than I was—was still coming up in the same places due to all the times I had spilled Pepsi on it and attempted to clean it up with a washcloth. Even some of my old clothes were still in my closet, and that brought a smile to my face.

I began to search through the room. I looked through folders, some old books, and some notes that I'd passed to my friends. I came upon my first yearbook from high school. I opened it up and flipped through the pages. I felt my heart ache as soon as I saw what was in the back of the yearbook on the inside of the hard cover—Shane's message. I stared at it continuously, reading the words over and over and letting them sink into my brain.

I grabbed that piece of paper and ripped it out of the notebook and threw it across the room—along with a random remote—hearing the remote crash against the vanity glass and hearing it break. I started to throw random things against the walls of the room, until I threw myself against the only concrete wall where I proceeded to bang on it and cry. I couldn't stop the tears from coming out, no matter what I tried. Short, shallow breaths escaped me and I was having difficulty breathing. I muttered words I didn't even know I was capable of pronouncing, and I cried harder.

"This is what you wanted from me, wasn't it? You _wanted _to break me down and see me tear myself apart, didn't you? That's all you really wanted! You wanted to break me," I slumped down the wall and put my head in my hands. "I wasn't good enough. All I did was sacrifice and you didn't think a thing of it, did you? No! You were always with someone else. I was so insecure. You never loved me. You never loved me." I repeated the last sentence until I was sick of hearing myself say it, and until my body couldn't take it anymore. I found the strength to wipe my eyes and collapse on the soft covers of my old bed.

* * *

"Lexie, wake up." I heard a female voice say. It grew distant. "Her room hasn't been this trashed since she was still living here."

"It certainly hasn't," a male voice said this time. "I wonder why she's here."

I recognized those voices.

I shot straight up out of the bed and opened my eyes. I looked around, and I was relieved when I saw my mom and dad in the room.

"How long have I been out?" I asked, my voice thick with sleep. They both sat down on the bed, and my mom put her arms around me.

"We got back about two hours ago. Two hours or more since you were here before us." She said, shaking her head. "Why are you here? Did something happen between you and LB or something?"

For a split second, I couldn't remember why I was there in the first place. Then, I shut my eyes and saw the clouds of black smoke engulfing my apartment, along with the red-orange flames that would forever condemn it to the deepest parts of the earth.

"No," I muttered. "My apartment was burned down."

"Your apartment?" asked mom and dad at the same time.

I nodded. "Yeah. Fire Marshall condemned it. I wasn't there when it happened, though. Sh—someone left a note on my car and I saw it as soon as LB and I left Starbucks. I told her to check by here and the diner to make sure everything was all right. She said it was, so I went back home to the apartment and the road was blocked. I went around them and I saw my apartment being burned down."

"Do you know who did it?" my dad asked. I looked up at him and nodded again.

"Yeah. Shane."

Mom and dad exchanged glances, and I almost laughed when I knew that they didn't remember. "Shane?"

"Shane Weston.* My boyfriend from high school. We had a encounter at the diner and everything just went downhill from there." I said.

"LB told us when you were at work. She came over here with Iruka for lunch one day." Mom said. Dad smiled at her.

"She's getting married, isn't she? I remember her way back when." He said. I forced a smile. LB getting married before me really gave me some sort of complex problem and I really didn't know why, no matter how many times anyone else had reassured me.

"Can I stay here? Until I find somewhere else to go?" I asked them, even though this was really a stupid question.

Mom and dad smiled at me. "Of course you can," Dad said. "You kind of have to. You aren't allowed to leave until you cleaned your room."


	11. Chapter Ten: Restart

The Escapade  
Chapter Ten: Restart

**A/N: I really cannot thank you guys enough. Those who have kept with me and read everything and criticized me through reviews—I thank you. And, for those who threaten to kill me over MSN messenger if I don't update—thank you as well. None of my stores have even gotten close to the stats that The Escapade has. I've never been so successful with any other story. Thank you guys so much, again. It means a lot to me as an aspiring writer.  
But don't stop with me now. This story isn't even halfway through. :) Good things shall come, kids. Hope you guys are in for some hardcore reading. Long chapter.  


* * *

**  
"_It's Friday, right? I'll be home three weeks from now. It's the third week, eh? I know you're counting weeks." _Kakashi told me over the phone as I rolled over in bed. My cell phone was placed on my pillow and Kakashi was on speakerphone. I laughed softly to myself as I remembered my old sleeping habits from when I was in school. I glanced at the clock on my cell phone—it was almost ten and I had to be at work at eleven.

"I can't wait for you to come home," I said a little too blankly. I rolled over again.

"_Neither can I. What's the matter, love? You seem like there's something wrong." _He said. I took a deep breath. I didn't really want to tell Kakashi, because I didn't want to be much of a burden toward him. I knew he'd take it upon himself to help me, as much as I needed it. But I wanted to put him first, just like I always had.

"You won't like it," I warned.

"_Says you. What is it?"_

I exhaled loudly. "Shane burned down my apartment. I'm at my parents' house right now. I'm staying with them until I find a place."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a while, and I had thought he hung up on me, but he didn't.

"_I am so sorry, Lexie. I really am. I can't believe he did that. He should be put in jail for good." _He stated. "_I can ask to come home—"_

I shook my head furiously. "No, Kashi—" I blushed when I used my secret nickname for him. "That's your job. Besides, it'll give my parents and I some time to catch up. Plus, I have work and all. Your job is important."

"_You're more important than my job."_

I wanted to hang up and squeal like a first grader again, but I didn't.

"Stay there. I'll be fine. I promise. I always am."

He sighed intently, and I knew I had won this battle. "_If you're sure, love. You're so complicated, but maybe that's why I fell in love with you. I'll see you as soon as I can. I love you."_

"I love you too. See you soon."

I hung up and shut my cell phone and finally rolled—yes, I really did roll—out of bed. I fluffed up my hair as I walked out of my old bedroom. I walked into the kitchen where I found my mom watching television and having her probable sixth cup of coffee. She poured some into another cup and handed it to me. I turned my nose up at it.

"What's the matter? You don't like coffee?" she asked as she turned off the television and went into the laundry room.

I snorted. "I never did. I hate it; the stuff stunts your growth. What's your excuse?"

She flipped her hair and smirked at me. "Haha, you're so funny. Be glad you don't live her permanently or else you'd face my Hitler-esque wrath."

"Ooh, I'm so scared." I mimicked shaking motions and she threw a washcloth at me. "So you're communist now?"

"I like Stalin better," she joked. "Or maybe, I just don't like you."

I threw the washcloth back at her and went back into my room. "Thanks, mom." I called. I found some of my spare clothes that I had taken over here to keep in case of emergencies. I picked out something casual but nice to wear to work; a pair of khaki pants and a dress shirt. After putting them on, I went into my parents' bedroom to fix my hair and do my makeup. Mom walked in with the newspaper and sat down on the bed.

"Found something you might be interested in," she said. She pointed to an ad in the paper. "A stress reduction class. You can take it up at the hospital. God knows it'd help you and me both, dear." She added the last part almost inaudibly, and I rolled my eyes at her.

"A stress reduction class? I'm not stressed," I lied. Okay, maybe I was, but I wasn't about to admit it to my mom. "What is it, like some sort of AA meeting? Like Stressoholics Anonymous? Do I go in and introduce myself with a can of Red Bull in one hand and a stress ball in the other and say, 'Hi, I'm Alexandria Rivers, and I'm a stressoholic.'"

"Don't be so sarcastic," she chided. "It could help you. You never know."

I put the finishing touches on to my makeup and trudged out of her bedroom to go grab my purse. "I'll think about it. I'll see you later." I said as I hugged her. I walked out and got into my car. I drove to work feeling pretty well.

As I parked my car in the parking lot, I thought about the stress reduction class. Was I really that stressed about everything to where other people could notice it, even my own mom? My mom always noticed everything though, but I didn't think I was that bad. My apartment being burned down, Kakashi being away and LB moving out (plus her upcoming wedding, whenever that was) kind of tore me apart but I wasn't about to mentally break down over it. Was I?

I shrugged it off and walked into the store, being greeted by my new manager, Ricky. My old manager quit because she said that the job was "too stressful," so Ricky was brought in from a sister store not too far away from Ridgeway. He said—on more than one occasion—that I was the perfect employee. If only Elaine, Kate and Stephen could see me now.

"Hey girl!" he called from across the store. I gave him an once-over and nodded my approval. He was dressed in Ralph Lauren from head-to-toe, and his Dior sunglasses rested upon his natural blonde hair like he was Paris Hilton in guy form. Ricky was my "gay shopping buddy," as I liked to call him. Besides, who else could have possibly shared my biggest love for designer brands and men as much as Ricky did? A plus side: Ricky even liked Kakashi, from what I told him.

"Ralph Lauren," I said as we air kissed. "I like."

He threw his hands up in the air. "Girl, you've got to see this. We've got our new shipment of clothes in today, and I swear, I think it came straight from the runway in Milan. I set some things for you in the back that I thought you'd like."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Ricky. That's nice."

"No problem," he called over his shoulder as he left me. He turned around and faced me. "Oh, after your shift is done, come back and talk to me. I have a few things I'd like to go over with you."

I froze. The last time someone said this to me was when I was fired from Elaine's. "Am I getting fired? Because that's what happened last time."

He scoffed. "No way, girl. You're one of my best workers, I couldn't fire you even if you wore last season's Prada jacket," he pointed discreetly to the woman beside of him and I giggled. The woman looked at him and walked away. "Some people just can't handle the truth. Anyway, no; it's just something I thought you'd be interested in."

"Alright. Thanks!"

He walked away and I walked to the front counter only to find my shipment of freight to be stocked. I sighed and opened a box—looking through all of the makeup, perfume, bath sets, and whatever else there was—before stocking it. I found some of my favorite perfume and I decided to hold it back just in case I wanted to buy it. After stocking what was in the boxes, I rested against the counter and drank my Propel water while reading a magazine. I looked up as soon as I finished the article on stress—which was fairly ironic—and saw LB and Iruka walk in. They waved at me from afar, and I noticed that LB looked very different. Her hair was straightened and she wore it down, and she looked taller and thinner. Iruka looked as if he'd just won the lottery, and I came to only one conclusion, which I didn't want to admit to myself.

"Hey!" LB called. I put aside my water and the magazine on the pearl counter and waved at them.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked as they reached the counter.

Iruka pointed to LB. "She wanted to check on you. And I'm here to buy a ring."

I was taken aback at this, and I eyed him suspiciously. "Double proposing? Is that even possible?"

He chuckled, and scratched his head nervously. "Nope. She wanted a ring, and she wanted her best friend to pick it out. Plus, we brought you lunch." he said, handing me a bag from Taco Bell. I opened it up and smelled it; Taco Bell was heaven to me since I was trying to not eat out so much.

I jumped up and down as I opened the bag and took a bite form my taco. "Thanks, guys. What kind of budget are you on, Iruka?" I asked him as I opened up the glass door to where the jewelry was.

He tapped his finger against his temple for a second and glanced down at the counter. I saw his eyes scan the prices of the rings, then shrug. "Doesn't matter. Money is made for spending." he replied. I gave him an odd look, but knelt down to look at the rings that were beneath the glass counter. I scanned for the ring I'd been admiring ever since Ricky changed me from accounting to working the floor, and I found it. The ring was fairly small, with a silver band and a large blue heart stone in the middle. It had two smaller diamond stones on each side. I reached for it and took it out.

"Ever since Ricky changed me from accounting to working the floor, I've refused to sell this. I've even changed the price on it to anyone who wanted to buy it because I love it so much." I handed the ring to Iruka, who looked at it with his eyes wide. He showed it to LB, who smiled at me.

"It's beautiful," they said in unison. Iruka dug for his wallet out of his back pocket and handed me two one hundred dollar bills. He paid me greatly--the ring was only one hundred and eight dollars--and told me to keep the change. LB and Iruka left after telling me goodbye, and I finished my lunch at the counter. After lunch, I went to help unload some other freight in the other departments. I dropped my fair share of boxes (on my foot, might I add) and after a series of foot injuries, my shift was over. Ricky called me back to his room and I limped back there, slowly.

"You're so going to--what's wrong with your foot?" he asked, eyeing my hurt foot.

I shrugged it off, even though it really did hurt. "Dropped a few boxes on it. Nothing major."

He smiled at me. "How would you like to rest that hurt foot at a spa in New York?"

My mouth flung open and I placed my hand over my heart, like I didn't believe him at all. "What? Ricky, you can't be serious!"

"Serious as a heart attack, darling." he stated. "You. Me. LB. New York. Times Square. Manhattan. The Bryant Park Hotel. Saks Fifth Avenue. The whole shebang, doll."

I jumped up and down and leaped over to hug him, even though my foot throbbed in protest. "Yay! Oh my gosh, Ricky!"

He hugged me back, and gave me a sign to hang up. "Hang this up on the door. We're going to be out for awhile. I'm going to go home and get ready," he handed me two tickets. "Here. Be good." he said as he walked out of the room. I jumped up and down and danced in his room after he left for a good fifteen minutes. I went home, told my mom, and went to go pack. Before I knew it, I went to bed with New York's stylish streets not too far from my reach.

* * *

  
As soon as Ricky, LB and I landed in New York, I realized that it wasn't anything I made it out to be. It was crowded, some people were rude, and the buildings were _so huge._ Ricky's cousin who lived in New York, Jack, gave us a ride to The Bryant Park. We checked in, and I nearly dropped my bags at the entrance when I saw how beautiful the hotel was. I literally never saw anything like it, in all of my twenty-one years of living. It was magnificent with towering columns and rich, bold colors everywhere. I couldn't stop looking around in awe.

"This is beautiful," I told Ricky and LB as we went up in the elevator. "I've never saw anything like this in Ridgeway."

"That's because there isn't anything like this in Ridgeway," LB muttered. "This is beautiful, Ricky. Thank you for taking me."

"No problem, girls. Who wants to hit Fifth Avenue as soon as we get to the room?"

LB and I looked at each other, and I dramatically flashed my credit card at them. "I think I do."

* * *

On the flight home from New York, I realized I was probably about two thousand dollars in debt. I glanced around at the bags in front of me--Louis Vuitton, Chanel, True Religion, Tiffany & Co.--everything. I knew I'd pay for this later, but it was a possibility of a lifetime and I really couldn't pass it up. I bought shoes, a few (hundred) pairs of pants, some shirts, and a lot of anything else I could find. Jack drove us to the Trump Tower, and we saw that as well. We screwed around in the hallways, and we almost got kicked out. Jack also drove us to see Times Square, which LB and I took a gazillion pictures of. My foot did get better, and yes, I did go to a spa. We were given manicures and pedicures after we went to Broadway and saw a play. I wished Kakashi could have came along, but I knew he was busy. He texted me a few times because he couldn't call, and we texted for hours on end.

When I reached my parents house, I flung my stuff on the floor and almost fell down because I was so tired. I went to bed early and slept until I had to get up for work the next morning--which wasn't something I really wanted to do, but I had to. I woke up and ate a good breakfast after leaving Kakashi a voice mail. I wanted to call him and tell him that I was back from New York, but he wasn't answering his phone. I feared the worst, but I figured if he was going to end our relationship, he would have done it by now.

I parked in my usual parking place and went into work, waving tiredly at Ricky as he was talking to a customer. He waved back at me and I was suddenly bombarded by customers at the counter. After checking out everyone at the counter, a teenage girl around sixteen years old needed my fashion advice.

I didn't know that I would be there for two hours helping her pick out clothes, and she'd only come out with one pair of jeans. I decided to go ask another customer if they needed help, and they did. The woman and I talked for a minute about some jewelry that we offered.

"Excuse me, miss, can you tell me where the menswear is?" someone asked from behind me. I told the lady to wait at the jewlery counter.

I turned around in the face of Kakashi, who was on one knee with a ring box. "Alexandria Jo Rivers, will you marry me?"


	12. Chapter Eleven: The Perfect Combination

The Escapade  
Chapter Eleven: The Perfect Combination

**A/N: Can anyone else picture Kakashi as a MIB? **

"Alexandria Jo Rivers, will you marry me?" Kakashi asked. The ring was the same one that I'd given to Iruka when he stopped by a few days ago. I wondered how long I was going to stand there like a complete moron with my mouth flung open.

I couldn't trust my voice, but I nodded and faintly whispered. "Yes."

He slid the ring on my finger and kissed me, right in front of everyone in the entire store, but I didn't care. I hugged Kakashi tightly. I was so glad to see him. He wrapped his arms around me and I settled into his warm embrace. I gestured toward the door with my head and gave a look at Ricky, who mouthed, 'Get out of here,' while smiling and taking pictures of Kakashi and I.

Kakashi drove us to his condo—in the pouring rain, again—and I didn't even bother to look at the charred remains of my apartment as we passed. He carried me bridal style into the apartment and we sat on his back porch, gazing out onto the rugged mountains. He had his arm around me, and I twisted the ring on my finger, staring at it.

"Did I surprise you?" he asked, grabbing my hand and holding it. I looked up at him.

"Of course you did. I didn't expect you back for another two or three weeks." I told him.

"Told you I would have came home early," he said while patting me on the head.

"But didn't it hurt the job, though? You were supposed to stay there for six weeks."

"Nope. My job was done after I trained the manager," he shifted positions so he was fully facing me now. "Someone else came in to watch the store. So, I took the opportunity and I left. That was the most Godforsaken place I've ever been in," he muttered.

I ruffled his hair, which earned me a small chuckle. "I'm glad you're back."

He kissed me on the forehead and I sat back, tired as ever. We sat there, watching it pour the rain as dusk turned to twilight, and twilight to dawn. The rain cascaded into tiny rows of droplets until I barely heard it stop before drifting off to sleep. I didn't know what time it was; I didn't really care. I was with Kakashi, and that was really all that mattered.  


* * *

The next day, I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside of the open window that was directly beside of the bed I was in. I opened my eyes slightly; I didn't want to get up, but I had to. The sun's beams hit my face as soon as I got out of the bed—which was extremely comfortable—and I squinted my eyes in pain.

It sure was bright out there.

I raised my arms above my head in a stretching manner, and I felt the ring on my finger. I brought my arms down to look at it, and I smiled. I was getting _married._ I didn't know when, but I was getting married someday to Kakashi. Speaking of which, where was he?

I silently went downstairs to the kitchen to find Kakashi making breakfast. I stayed at the threshold of the door to see what it was he was cooking. I craned my neck around to see if I could get a good look, then he moved to block me again.

"Darn it," I whispered a little too loudly.

I heard Kakashi come closer to the edge of the wall where I was at, and I flattened myself against it, James Bond style.

"What are you doing?" he asked me with a smirk. His blue eyes lightened and a silver eyebrow came down, as if he knew what I was doing all along. Which he probably did.

"Seeing if the wall is sturdy," I lied. I tapped the wall with my hand and nodded. "Yep. Sturdy enough."

He cocked his head to one side and smiled at me. "I know what you're doing. You were spying on me."

"I did no such thing. Even if I did, you couldn't pro—" I was cut off by my cell phone blasting a ringtone. Kakashi looked at me funny and I shrugged, wondering whom it could be this early in the morning.

"Hello?" I answered sleepily, turning my speakerphone on.

"_Hey, girl."_ Ricky said excitedly. "Just calling to tell you that you could have the weekend off, paid. You might be busy, if you know what I mean."

I grimaced and hastily turned off the speakerphone, which made Kakashi laugh—loudly. "Thanks, Ricky. Oh, is there anyway I could repay you for taking LB and I to New York?" I watched Kakashi flip pancakes as I spoke.

"_Yes, there is, in fact."_

_"_Anything. What is it?"

_ "You could take over as manager—permanently."_ He stated. I had to grab onto Kakashi's shoulder, because I knew my knees would give out.

"Oh, God. Are you serious?" I asked. Kakashi stopped flipping pancakes and turned to hold me.

"_If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, doll. Serious as a heart attack."_ He stated. I shook my head in disbelief.

"_You're perfect for it. Besides, I'm getting old anyway."_

"Ricky, you're only twenty eight."

"_Okay, maybe I'm not that old. But my old store needed help, so they called me back. You're now manager, doll. I won't leave until the weekend, though. Parting is such sweet sorrow." _He said dramatically, quoting Romeo and Juliet. I laughed.

"Ricky, I don't know what to say. Thank you so much. For everything."

He chuckled. "_No problem, girl. I better get invited to the wedding, though."_

Wedding. The meaning of that word hit me, and I almost lost my balance again. "You will. No doubt about it. I'll talk to you later." I shut my phone and Kakashi took my phone and set it on the counter.

"So? Good news?" he asked, handing me a plate of pancakes.

"Ricky offered—well, basically gave me—manager's position at the store." I said, taking the plate and setting it on the table. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he smiled at me.

"That's great, love. I'm so happy for you. I told you things would fall in place." He said and he kissed me softly. He twirled me around in a circle, and then set me down. I felt my heart skip beats at the contact. He took our plates to the living room and we sat on the couch beside of each other, eating. He turned on the television to the news. I finished and took our plates to the sink and sat them down. "Love, I think you might want to see this." He called from the living room. I stopped running dishwater and sat down on the couch, staring at the television.

"_Our breaking news story that still happens to be in progress—The trial of Shane Carver Weston from the area of Ridgeway. Weston is charged with one count of arson and one count of theft. Weston set fire to his high school girlfriend's apartment, and stole a large sum of money from Ridgeway's infamous diner—Bonnie's Drive-Thru. Weston is currently being tried at Ridgeway Courthouse, under Honorable Judge Tristan." _Kakashi held my hand as I watched the reporter speak, and I sat back to hug up to him. They showed pictures and film of my apartment being burned and the aftermath. I turned around to bury my face between the couch and his shoulder, but turned back around when the reporter started to speak again..

_"Weston's girlfriend from high school is a woman by the name of Alexandria Jo Rivers. Rivers told Ridgeway's sheriff—Sheriff Dalater—that she had always had complications with Weston; she had also told Dalater that_ _the arson and theft were most likely acts of revenge when she refused to take back Weston as her boyfriend. Rivers, once a former employee of Bonnie's Drive-Thru, stated that Weston had came in on her break and tried to force himself on her after they had gotten into an argument. _

_Rivers said that she had found a note on her car while her and a friend were at Starbucks, that led her to believe that one of three places were on fire: her parents' home, her apartment, or the diner that she was previously fired from. Rivers had gotten into her car and came home to her apartment being burned down. Although she is obviously not being held accountable to whereas she is simply the victim, Miss Rivers told Sheriff Dalater that it was: "all right if they couldn't do anything to him, because what he reaps, he shall sow." The Sheriff guaranteed Miss Rivers that Weston's act would not go unpunished."_

"Well, that's amazing," I muttered, mostly to myself.

"I think they got your name wrong," Kakashi said in an attempt to change the subject. I smiled at him and he held me tightly. "You're no longer 'Miss Rivers'. You'll soon be 'Mrs. Hatake'."


	13. Chapter Twelve: Value

The Escapade  
Chapter Twelve: Value

"_I just wanna save you while there's still something left to save." –Savior; Rise Against._

**A/N: Theme for this chapter is the song 'Set The Fire To The Third Bar' by Snow Patrol ft. Martha Wainwright.  


* * *

**  
"So, did you call your mom and tell her that you'll be moving in with me? Because I'm fairly certain that she'll be quite worried if she finds out that you aren't there for a second day in a row." Kakashi told me as I turned around to face him. I was in his kitchen washing dishes, and I stopped quite abruptly when he mentioned me living with him.

I even dropped a glass to prove that I was shocked, and believe me; I didn't do that on purpose.

"Looks like I surprised you again," he stated. "You seem a little jumpy." He walked toward me and I kept shaking my head like the idiot that I am, because I never could form the right sentence to say in front of him. "So, you didn't call your mom?" he asked again. He was smiling now.

"Yeah, I called her yesterday," I dried my hands with the dishcloth and stabilized myself by leaning up against the sink. The cold metal hit my back and I suddenly got snapped back into reality. Kakashi kept walking toward me, and he was now inches from my face. We sat there for at least three minutes. He finally broke out in a small, light chuckle and kissed my forehead.

"You're so funny. But that's why I love you." He said, walking off toward his bathroom. I guessed that I could call it _our bathroom_ since I was moving in with him—wait. What?

"Wait, what did you say?" I called. He turned back and leaned up against the door frame.

"You're so funny. But that's why I love you." He repeated, arching an eyebrow.

"No, before that."

"That you're moving in with me?"

"Yeah," I looked down for a second, then back up again. I twisted the ring on my finger. "You want me to move in with you?"

He nodded. "Of course I do, Lexie. You're already living here, sort of. Might as well make it permanent. You're the one I've been chasing. You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with." He wrapped an arm around my waist my brown eyes met his, which spoke the sincerity of an angel. "This shocks you, doesn't it?"

I leaned into him. "Yes, it does. I've never had anyone treat me this way." I confessed. I smiled at him, and he returned the gesture.

"Well, now you do."

My relationship with Kakashi was something I'd never expected it to be. I never expected him to love me back, for the first and foremost part. Even though he never really started coming into the diner—when I worked there—until I was twenty, I still had the feeling of joy when he walked in. He'd always park his truck in the same spot, always seemed to be at the diner at the exact same time, and always ordered the same thing.

Obviously, he was never one for change.

Laughing to myself, I started to fold some of Kakashi's laundry after I made up the bed. After secretly raiding Kakashi's book collection, I found a book that I seemed interested in, so I placed it on the table to read after I was finished with everything else.

Kakashi came in while I was reading on the edge of the bed, and I was actually so engrossed in the book that I didn't hear him come in.

"Love, do you know where my white button down shirt is?" he asked. "I know you just did the laundry. If it isn't too much trouble for you to—is that my book?"

I looked up—only to see Kakashi shirtless. So, instead of responding like a normal human being, I fell off of the bed, throwing his book behind me because I fell backwards. I rolled over in the floor after ungracefully hitting my head on the bed. After getting settled—standing up—I still didn't respond because either: I was shocked to see him shirtless because, well, there were no words; or I forgot the English language.

I settled for both.

"Uh," I said, very stupidly. He smirked at me; that crooked sideways smile with his mouth turned up at just the right ends that always made me felt like I was in my own little piece of Heaven.

God, why did he have to be so _sexy? This was pure man._

"Do you need time to recuperate? I can wait," he said, still with that smirk.

I finally found his shirt after what seemed like years of searching, and I handed it to him, shaking my head—and also trying not to stare.

"Like what you see? Maybe next time you can order the package deal instead of basic cable." He chuckled and kissed me, and I giggled.

"Very funny." I handed him his book back. "Do you want this back? It just looked interesting."

"No, love. You can read it. Anything in this condo that is mine is also rightfully yours, Mrs. Hatake." He beamed.

"Why, thank you, Mr. Hatake. That is very nice of you." I said as he went out of the door and into the living room. I went back to sit on the bed to read some more, and as soon as I sat down, my cell phone rang. "Ah, perfect timing, whoever you are." I mumbled. "Hello?"

"_Hey, um, Lexie? It's Julie. Can you help me out? I'm in a bind."_ She said.

"Yeah, sure. What's the matter?"

"_Well I kind of got taken to jail for forking Shane's yard. I forgot to mention to you that I also broke in his house."_

I sighed. "Need me and Kakashi to come and get you? Is this your—"

"_Yeah, it's my one and only phone call." _She interrupted. "_Lex, be careful. They're putting Shane down here and the last thing I need is another confrontation between you, Kakashi, and that worthless piece of ship."_

Only she didn't say ship.

"No problem. Careful is my middle name. I'll be down in a minute. I'd say don't go anywhere, but you don't really have a choice, do you?" I joked.

"_Not entirely."_

"Okay, sorry. I'll be there as soon as I can. Bye."

I hung up and shook my head at the thought of Julie breaking into Shane's house, for the sake of me. I walked into the living room where Kakashi was.

"Hey, do you mind going somewhere with me? I need some man muscle—I mean, I need a man for protection." I blushed, still picturing Kakashi shirtless every time I saw him.

"Sure. Where? I'll be happy to give you my man muscle." He said, glancing at me as he put on his shoes—which made me blush deeper.

"The jail," I said, feeling weird about bailing a friend out. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at me. "When the whole thing between Shane and I happened, she went and forked his yard. She put plastic forks, and probably real ones, too, in his yard. She failed to mention that she also broke in. So, they put her in jail and she asked me to bail her out. If you want to stay here, it's fine."

"Nope. I'm coming with you, whether you want me to or not. I want to meet Julie." He said. He grabbed his keys and we walked out of the door. He opened my door for me—just like he did on our first date—and I got in.

"She forked his yard for the sake of you," he stated as we came to a stop sign. "You have good friends."

I nodded in agreement. "I do. Julie and LB have been my friends since grade school. They're good people. Crazy, but they're good friends. You and Iruka seem to be close as well."

"We are. He was the only friend that stuck with me in high school."

"He's a good guy. I'm glad him and LB are getting married."

He took my hand. "I'm glad we are."

I turned to look at him. Right then, I was desperate to tell him everything I felt for him, but I decided I'd save it for our marriage ceremony.

Which I wasn't really preparing for.

Which is also what I should be doing.

We parked at the jail as soon as we arrived, and Kakashi and I got out. From a distance, I saw a man being escorted by police officers and a crowd of people—ranging from what I knew of Shane's family, news reporters, and random civilians. I grabbed onto Kakashi, who held me tightly, just in case something happened.

And the only time that Kakashi looked up to meet his eyes, Shane went wild.

He started fighting against the restraint that the police officers had him in, and he started punching the nearest one he could get ahold of. I don't know what happened to the handcuffs, but they were long gone as soon as he downed two officers. Every news reporter instantly stood back as he stole the pistol that one of the officers were armed with, and aimed it at Kakashi.

I felt rage, sadness, and anger in a mix of emotions that I really couldn't control. I clutched my hand that my engagement ring was on.

"What do you value most, Lexie? Because the only man you'll ever love is about to be killed." He said as he shot the pistol. I jumped in front of Kakashi, making him fall against the hard concrete. He tried to drag me away, but the bullet pierced my skin and I instantly saw black.

But not before I told Kakashi that I loved him.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Value Part II

The Escapade  
Chapter Thirteen: Value Part II  


* * *

I'd never been shot in my entire life before that time.

Yeah, I screwed around with some BB guns when I was little; a couple of rocks hit me, but nothing major. I screwed up my leg pretty bad when I was thirteen, and got a nice battle scar from it.

Never been shot, though.

I thought I was dead. At least I died protecting someone I love.  


* * *

"Lexie, can you hear me?" someone said. Their voice was far away, and I could barely hear it. It was almost inaudible.

Okay, so, maybe I _wasn't_ dead.

Being the nice, smart, intelligent person that I was, I decided to shoot straight off of whatever I was laying on, taking some IV cords (that were placed in my hand; and everyone knows you shouldn't jerk around an IV cord) with me. Screeching in pain from my shoulder, I laid back down.

"Oh, thank God." The same voice said, coming over to me and waving their hand in front of my face.

"Yeah, I can see. And yes, I can hear you." I said, not too nicely. I looked up and recognized Kakashi. I blushed. "Sorry. I'm just in a lot of pain. I didn't know it was you."

He shook his head and sat down on my bed, kissing my forehead. "Love, what were you thinking? You could have gotten killed out there."

"He could have easily killed you, too." I defended. "Then, I'd be a widow. Sort of."

"That doesn't—" He sighed in defeat. "They removed the bullet easily. They said you're going to be out of here by tomorrow, tonight, if we're lucky. You lost some blood, though. But you're okay."

"My shoulder hurts." I complained.

"I know, love. You're going to rest at home after this until your wound heals. No complaints, either. I'll wait on you hand and foot."

I made a face. "What if I don't want to be?"

He shrugged. "Too bad. You're going to."

"Are you staying overnight with me or going back to the house?"

Saying, '_the house_' felt pretty weird to me, considering I was just shot by the man who got me fired and burned my apartment down. Within a few weeks, I had a new job and a place to stay, plus I was getting married. No doubt I was the type to recover fast.

"I'm staying with you." He said. He sat down in the chair beside of the bed where I was. I sat up so I could look around. I was in a hospital, no less. The room was painted an off white with blue trim. I was in some weird hospital gown with IV stuck in me, which I wasn't a big fan of. "Your mom stopped by earlier. But you were asleep. I think she's still here, want me to call her?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

A few minutes later, my mom was in my hospital room.

"Oh, I knew you'd be okay!" she exclaimed as she walked in and saw me talking to Kakashi. She came in and hugged me, and my dad and grandparents followed suit, everyone taking turns. "Why did you jump in front of that bullet, Lexie?" My mom asked me.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Because, if I didn't, he would have gotten killed. Maybe."

"So could you!"

"When you love someone, it doesn't matter. You'd protect them at any cost, even if it costs you your life. I love Kakashi. And if I was meant to die, then I would have. But obviously not, so here I am. And I'd do it all over again if I had to. And I'm pretty sure he'd do the same for me."

I saw Kakashi nod out of the corner of my eye, and I smiled.

"You're silly. But we love you."

I looked around the room. "Did anyone ever bother to bail Julie out of jail? That's kind of what we were there for."

As if on cue, Julie, LB and Iruka walked in.

"You moron! You jumped in front of—" LB started, running toward me. She smacked me, hard. Iruka grabbed her by the arms, and she jerked back and smacked him hard across the face. "She could have gotten killed! Doesn't anyone understand this? She risked her life for him!"

Iruka was now holding her, and I could see tears coming down her face. "I was so scared, Lexie. I was so scared that I lost you. I can't lose my best friend. I just can't. Why did you do that?"

I sat there and looked at her, then looked at my wounded shoulder. "Because I..I love him. I wasn't about to sit there and do nothing. I couldn't let Shane kill him. I just couldn't do that. That's what Shane wanted. That's what he's always wanted."

After the five-minute silence, Kakashi stood up and placed his hand in mine. "Well, I think we have this established that Lexie jumped in front of a bullet to save me," he scanned the room. "I am very grateful that Lexie is alive. If she were to die—well, I really don't know what I would do without her. I fell in love with her ever since I saw her at the diner. Which is why you should know, if you already don't, that Lexie and I are getting married, and Lexie is already moved in with me."

No one said anything after that, and I really didn't know why.

My family came over to hug me, and so did Julie. We talked about everything, and finally everyone left. I fell asleep that night into a deep slumber.  


* * *

The next morning I was released from the hospital. I couldn't really do much with my arm, obviously. Kakashi drove us home and packed me, bridal style, onto the bed where he told me that I was to stay until I got better, or else.

And I wasn't about to question him.

I turned on the television to meet my fate, and seeing myself get shot.

"_This morning's story was covered two days ago at Ridgeway jail, where a civilian was shot and wounded and two police officers were downed. None other than Ridgeway's now infamous criminal, Shane Weston, was the offender. Weston was being transported to Ridgeway jail, where he saw his ex girlfriend, Alexandria Rivers, and her fiancée, Kakashi Hatake. Weston, in turn, fought the restraint that he was in, downing two police officers in the process. He grabbed a pistol from a downed officer and aimed at Kakashi. Rivers then jumped in front of her fiancée in order to save him. Rivers was in critical care for one day, then released. Weston is now sentenced to a maximum sentence of fifteen years in jail."_

"Sounds like we're celebrities," Kakashi said, entering the bedroom with some hot chocolate. He handed me a cup and laid down beside of me.

I sighed. "I can't believe we've been through all of this," I said, turning the television. "It's ridiculous."

"That it is, love. That it is." He grabbed something out of his pocket and handed it to me. It was multiple pieces of paper, looking somewhat like notes. "I read over these. Mind telling me why I am the core subject?"

I opened them up and began to read them, laughing at certain ones. These were notes that LB and I passed to each other at the diner when we couldn't get on break. Our main subject was Kakashi, whom I didn't know at the time. I laughed when I read the one about him being "finer than a piece of fried steak," and I put them away.

"They were notes that LB and I passed at the diner when we couldn't get on break. And," I looked over him. "_Tu eres muy interesante, Senor Hatake_."

"Gee, thanks." He muttered. He leaned back against me, and sighed again. "So. We have to talk about this, you know."

"The wedding?"

"Yep."

"Well. What do we start with?"

He scratched his head. "I don't know, you girls are better at it than us guys. Unless you want me to be gay for thirty minutes."

I shook my head. "Um, no. No, thank you."

"Good, because I wasn't about to be," he turned to face me. "Colour scheme?"

"What's your favourite colour?"

"Anything you like."

I smacked him playfully. "Not helping. Blue and green?"

He raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess." I got a pen and paper and started to write things down. "My favourite colour is blue."

"Large or small wedding?" he asked.

I shrugged. I really didn't know that many people outside of my family, and I knew he probably didn't have much of anyone to invite.

"Small," I said, twirling the pen. "I have a big family, but most of them don't live around here."

He nodded in agreement, and didn't say anything about his family, even though I secretly understood. I snuggled up to him for comfort, knowing family was a touchy subject for him. I never asked him how his parents died, or if he had any family he could possibly invite, because I didn't want to make him sad. He raised an arm up to put around me, bringing me closer to him. I inhaled the scent of musk and set the pen and paper aside. He looked down at me, and I looked up at him. We both smiled at each other.

"You feel it, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes. Yes, I do."

And there were no words for what we felt. There were just feelings, and that was basically all we needed.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Plans

The Escapade  
Chapter Fourteen: Plans  
**A/N: I apologize for not updating in such a long time. Some things came up at home and I've been busy. Hope you guys forgive me. :D Kind of a short chapter, I need to get back into the swing of things.**

"Well, this isn't weird at all, is it?" I asked whoever it was that was now blindfolding me. Whoever it was, they weren't exactly trying to kill me, because I figured they would have already done that by now. And it surely wasn't Shane, because he was in jail. I remembered Kakashi was off somewhere, although I couldn't remember for the life of me where he went. I tried shaking their grip loose, but that didn't help either.

"Relax, Lexie. It's just me." LB's voice said as I almost tugged my arm free.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me? I'm not exactly one of those submissive types of people, you know. You of all people should know that." I smirked. She dragged me into what felt like a car, and I sat down. My hands felt cloth; the affirmative notion that it was indeed a car, and I was on my way to somewhere.

She smacked me on my arm playfully as she shut the passenger side door—or, I guessed it was the passenger side door because I felt the dashboard in front of me—and she got in and started her car.

"You're going to look like a fool driving down the road with a blindfolded passenger in your passenger seat, you know." I mumbled, fondling with the seat belt in case something serious happened. I never knew what to expect with LB's driving.

"I've done it before, I'll do it again."

"So, I'm not the first blindfolded passenger you've had in your car?"

"Certainly not the last, either. Although, one of my passengers seems to be highly repetitive."

As the realization hit me, I shook my head. "Thanks for that mental image, LB. I really needed that."

"No problem."

"You know, I do have Miranda rights." I said awkwardly.

"That's only if you're getting arrested, Lexie."

"I'm sure you have handcuffs around here somewhere," I pretended to lean down to search under the seat for some handcuffs.  
"God knows where you found the blindfold."

"What is in my car is no matter of your finding."

"So you _do_have handcuffs in here! Are they fuzzy ones or metal? Or does Iruka like being tied up instead? Oh, God, maybe you have a box at home. Remind me not to ever come to your house."

She hit me on the arm again, and this time it wasn't being playful.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop." I coughed. "Can you at least tell me where I'm being held against my will at?"

"I don't have to," She opened her door, then opened mine. "We're already here. Follow my orders or I will handcuff you, and bring out whatever else I have in this car."

I saluted her blindly. "Yes, master."

"My door doesn't swing that way, Lexie." She retorted as she grabbed hold of my arm and dragged me into some building. I heard people to my right, but the sounds were sort of muffled. I heard a piano playing, but then stopped as LB whispered something to someone. The person laughed, probably looking at me like I was mentally ill. I'd blame LB for this, because I knew whatever I was doing, wherever I was at, or what was going to happen to me was something her and Iruka conjured up.

Something hit the back of my knees and LB ordered me to sit down. She took my brown hair out of the messy ponytail that it was in, and she started to brush it.

"Might I ask why you're brushing my hair?"

"I didn't tell you to speak, did I?" She laughed, and it sounded extremely odd to me. I gave an involuntary shudder. "I'm kidding. You'll see. Just play along, all right? It's not like it's going to kill you."

I shrugged. "You might."

"I'm not that bad," she muttered as I heard her unzip something. "What's underneath your clothes that you have on?"

"Some more clothes."

"I'm being serious!"

"Uh, undergarments."

"Good. I'm coming with you to help you put this on. If you even dare to remove the blindfold—"

"Believe me, I'm not stupid."

She led me to yet another room, and I took off my clothes. I was in a pair of sweatpants and a old high school sweatshirt. I wasn't exactly expecting anyone to take me off, blindfold me, and tell me that I was basically being held against my will. After all, I did have weird stuff happen to me, but this kind of stuff didn't happen to me.

At least, not on an everyday basis.

I took off my sweatshirt and sweatpants and threw them across the floor. LB helped me get it—whatever "it" was—over my head and on my body. It felt silky, like a pillowcase, but I still wasn't sure what I was doing. Or what I was in.

I hoped it looked flattering.

A knock on the outside door came.

"Can I see her?" someone whispered. It sounded like either Kakashi or Iruka, but if it was someone else, I was getting pretty scared. Whoever it was, they wanted to see me.

"No, she isn't ready. You know our rule, too. Go wait." LB said, then shut the door.

Who would disobey LB?

After a few minutes of straightening whatever I was in, and LB fixing my hair, LB started to put makeup on me. She removed the blindfold and put it lower on my face so that it was laying across my mouth.

"Ooh, I didn't know I signed up to play Barbie dolls." I mumbled, not really certain if she could hear me since I had a blindfold across my mouth.

"This isn't playing Barbie dolls, Lexie. Now sit still while I fix your eye shadow. When you rolled your eyes, it screwed up."

I gave a very loud sigh, indicating that I was now irritated with whatever everyone was doing, or whatever it was that everyone had planned for me.

"Was that Kakashi who you spoke to?"

"It was indeed."

"What did he want?"

"He wanted to see you."

"Why didn't you let him? I asked. She didn't respond for a minute, and I reached out my hand to make sure she was still there. She finished my eye makeup first, and then took the blindfold off of my mouth. I felt her slip high heels on my feet, tighten the straps, and then put lip-gloss on me. She sprayed almost a gallon of hairspray on my hair before taking it and pinning it halfway back—my usual trademark hairstyle. A few pieces hung in my face off to the side, and she slipped my glasses back on over my eyes. She helped me up out of the chair. I took this as a notion to open my eyes, so I did.

What I saw before me in the mirror wasn't me. It was a woman that I had always strived to be, but I never could reach. My brown hair was curled furiously, and was pinned back in a diamond butterfly barrette. My eyes were highlighted by a color that matched my eyes, and I had—what looked and felt like—fifty coats of mascara on. I was in a white, silky, lacy dress with matching heels. I turned to look at LB, who was on the verge of crying.

"The reason why I never told Kakashi to come in was because it is tradition for the groom not to see his bride before the wedding." She grabbed a Kleenex and wiped her eyes, being careful not to mess up her makeup. "Congratulations, Lexie. You're getting married."


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Forever

The Escapade  
Chapter Fifteen: Forever  
**A/N: I apologize for the lapse in updating for a very long time. My computer was infected with malware and Trojans out of the wazoo, and I wasn't even able to access my Internet. I just had gotten it fixed recently, typed up this chapter, and put it on here for you guys to see. After all, it is the day after Valentine's Day. Hope you guys had a good one. :D  


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"The reason why I never told Kakashi to come in was because it is tradition for the groom not to see his bride before the wedding." She grabbed a Kleenex and wiped her eyes, being careful not to mess up her makeup. "Congratulations, Lexie. You're getting married."

I was getting married. _I was getting married._ This was _my_ wedding. _I_ was the bride. Kakashi was the groom. We were about to be bonded in holy matrimony for the rest of our lives. _Together._ Spending forever with Kakashi was definitely something I wanted to do. So, why was I shaking like a madman? Why was my stomach turning into knots? Why did I feel like I was going to throw up the breakfast from six years ago?

I didn't have any idea, or else I wouldn't be doing this.

"Are you okay?" LB asked me. I shook my head at her, not really believing what I saw because I was in so much shock.

"Is my mom and dad here?" I asked, coughing nervously.

"Yep. He's all ready and willing to walk his daughter down the aisle. Your family is on one side and—" she paused and looked at me, and I knew she was having trouble finding the right words. "What's left of his family is on the other side. Everyone from the diner is here, too. And Ricky is as well."

"I'm so nervous, it isn't even halfway funny. I really can't stop shaking."

"It's okay, Lexie. You'll be fine. Kakashi is the love of your life. He always has been ever since you laid eyes on him at the diner. There's no reason to be nervous you should know that. You're going to spend the rest of your life with him."

"That's a long time, LB. That's a long time. You should be going down the aisle with me."

She shrugged. "Well, I'm your bridesmaid, give me some credit. Iruka and I haven't set a date yet, though. Hopefully sometime soon."

"I hope so, too." I inhaled sharply, and then slowly exhaled. "Time to do this?"

"Sure is. Let's go."

She went first, along with Julie who joined her from the opposite side. Friends of Kakashi's went next, and then I saw my dad appear on my left. He smiled at me, giving me a quick hug. He whispered something, but I was too nervous to hear him correctly. Members—and whoever else was there—stood up and faced the back, to where my dad and I began to walk. I looked ahead at the center of the church, hearing the organ playing, trying to search for familiar faces. My friends from school and Stephen were seated in the middle of the left hand side. My family was seated up near the top pew of the church on the left side, and I even saw some of my teachers from high school. My eyes drifted to the right, and I realized that my side of the church was bigger than Kakashi's. He had what looked like mostly friends and coworkers. I think I even saw one or two people that sort of favored him, but I wasn't rather sure.

When I walked closer to the altar, I got a good look at Kakashi. His traditional black and white tuxedo was adorned in a blue silk tie, a color that was highly similar to his eyes. His hair was in its normal up-do, per se. He had the biggest grin on his face that I ever did see. I held back tears that were coming as soon as I saw his face.

My dad and I stopped at the preacher, in front of Kakashi, in front of the altar, and in front of everyone at the church. The preacher was the one that preached at the church I went to back when I was a teenager. I attended their service regularly even now, and Kakashi even went along with me. He looked at me and smiled.

"Do you approve of this couple being bonded together in holy matrimony, Mr. Rivers?" asked the preacher.

"I sure do." My dad said, squeezing my hand one last time before the preacher took it and held it with Kakashi's. My dad took his rightful place, and I exhaled again.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to bond these two of God's children in holy matrimony." He started. He said a few lines, and read from the Bible. He quoted First Corinthians chapter thirteen, and John 3:16. He quoted my favorite verses from Proverbs, and Kakashi's favorite verse from the Song of Solomon. He went on to say a few last words, and I could hear my mom sniffling in the background. "You may exchange vows."

I knew this was going to come, so I prepared myself ahead of time for what I was going to tell Kakashi.

Too bad I forgot my whole speech when the preacher told us to exchange vows.

Kakashi sighed, and held my hand tightly. "Alexandria Jo Rivers, you are the best thing to ever happen to me. I never knew what love was until I spoke to you the very first time at the diner you worked at. I watched you everyday, and I always gave you extra money on your tips. I loved you even then, and my love for you only grew. Words cannot describe what I feel for you. My love for you is higher than the highest star and galaxy, and deeper than the deepest ocean. It spreads far and wide, near and small. And even when we part in death, I will always love you that much more."

Tears fell down my cheek as he spoke. I wasn't crying because of what he said. I wasn't crying because I was happy. I wasn't crying because I was getting married. I was crying because I know he meant every single word he said.

I looked deep into his eyes, and I started talking. "I planned on giving you a very well-thought up speech, but I forgot it while you were talking. I wish I knew the right words to say, because I was always never good with words. The very first time I saw you, I never in my wildest dreams think that I would be standing here with you, exchanging vows on this day. I love you so much that it isn't even funny, and I always have, and I always will. You mean the world to me; you make my world go around. You are my sun and my moon. The first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to bed at night. You have always been, and always will be the love of my life. And I wouldn't have it any other single way."

He gave me one of those crooked smiles, and my heart quit beating right then and there. The preacher asked for our rings, and Kakashi slid mine on my finger, as did I with his. I looked straight into Kakashi's eyes as the preacher spoke the next two sentences.

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Kakashi Hatake. Kakashi, you may kiss the bride."

Kakashi released my hand to cup my cheek and he gave me a quick kiss. Nothing too strong or too fancy, but just right.

The organ started playing again and everyone stood up and started to either clap or yell "Congratulations" at us. I threw my bouquet of flowers, aiming right at LB, who caught it. Kakashi and I walked outside, and I saw the longest stretch limousine waiting for us. It was white and someone—most likely involving LB and Iruka—had painted it in colors and writing words on it. Kakashi opened the door for me, closing it behind me when I was in. He got in himself, and I rolled the window down to wave at everyone as we drove away.

Thus beginning the new chapter of my life as Mrs. Alexandria Jo Hatake.


	17. Epilogue: To Finish A Beginning

The Escapade  
Chapter Sixteen: To Finish A Beginning

**Authors Note: **The last chapter of The Escapade! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed religiously, and even those who didn't. You guys made this story popular, and my words cannot express how grateful I am toward you all. There just might be a sequel in mind, I'm not sure of it yet. But, be on the lookout for my new story **The Frontier** coming up. You guys voted for it, make it even more popular than this one!  


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As I woke up from my dream, I rubbed my eyes sleepily. I searched around, my eyes scanning the bright sunlit room. Without hesitation, Kakashi's alarm clock started beeping loudly. I lazily reached my hand over toward it to shut it off, snuggled deeper within the covers and began to close my eyes again.

Kakashi slammed the door open—or, so it sounded like—and jumped on the bed.

"Lexie, you've got to get up!" he commanded. "We leave at nine, and it's now eight-thirty. You've got thirty minutes to shower, pack a week worth of clothes and whatever else you girls pack." He shook me, gently, and then found me deep within the covers. I rolled over and greeted him with a weird smile.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my voice thick with sleep.

"You'll see," he said. He shook me again. "Now, come on. I don't want to be late for once."

"What time do we leave again?"

"Nine o'clock sharp. It's eight thirty now."

I froze; I only had thirty minutes to look as good as humanly possible that I could, because I honestly had no idea where Kakashi was taking me. I slung the covers out from over me and basically onto the floor. I bolted into the bathroom and stripped hurriedly of my clothes, turning on the water for a quick shower. I heard Kakashi leave the room and go downstairs, but I heard him laugh all the way there.

After taking an extremely quick shower—and I really do mean quick—I threw on my best shirt and my old, faithful khaki pants, along with some nice shoes. I packed a week worth of clothes, just like Kakashi had asked. I packed my makeup, some accessories, and whatever else I could fit into my two bags of luggage. I strolled downstairs, luggage in hand, and sat them down by the doorway. Kakashi was in the kitchen leaning up against the sink, eating breakfast. I walked in and he handed me a plate of pancakes.

"I fixed this earlier," he smirked. "You're going to need it. It'll be a long ride."  
I poured a good amount of syrup onto my pancakes and started to eat. I almost wolfed them down until Kakashi told me to eat slowly and that it would mess up my digestion. I drank a cup of milk and washed my plate after I was finished, doing the same with Kakashi's. He eyed me suspiciously, and I guessed that he had no idea what was going on.

"Are you okay?" he asked, chuckling. I exhaled loudly.

"No," I whined. "I don't know where we're going and you only gave me thirty minutes to get ready and now I have time to spare and I guess I'm just afraid and—"

He came close to me, embracing me in his strong arms. "Lexie, we just got married. What comes after a marriage?"

My eyes widened.

"Besides that."  
Reality set in and I laughed at myself. I was being stupid. "Oh, the honeymoon."

"Right, right." He kissed my forehead and laughed again. "You're too jumpy. Now come on, we're going to leave before we're late." He grabbed my luggage and hauled it out to his truck, placing it in the backseat with his. He opened my door for me, like he always did, and made sure I was in safely. He got in and started the truck.

"We're going to the airport. LB and Iruka are coming by to get the truck at the airport and taking it back here. They're going to watch over everything while we're gone. I talked to your mom and dad, they said that they would even come by and make sure everything is okay. I gave your mom an extra key to the house so she could see if anything was stolen or something." He backed out of the driveway and I glanced at the condo. He placed his hand in mine and intertwined out fingers, and our wedding bands clinked together.

He smiled at me and I returned the gesture.

"Do I get to know where we're going on our honeymoon?" I asked as he drove by the diner. I smirked at myself, knowing very well that I was better off at Ricky's—which was now my place—than at the diner.

"You'll know when we get there." He said. I scoffed at him and feigned a look of hurt but yet piqued interest. The sun seemed to only grow brighter and hotter as we reached the bustling airport. Airplanes were literally taking off every thirty seconds, and I could have sworn that one was going to take my head off. Kakashi went up to the front desk, got everything settled and rearranged, and came back to me. He grabbed both of our luggage cases. "We're on the flight that leaves in a few minutes." He grabbed my hand and we headed out toward the plane. Boarding said plane, we took our seats and it eventually took off, leaving Ridgeway behind.

I eventually fell asleep, and Kakashi woke me up in what seemed like only thirty minutes. I rubbed my eyes and looked out of the window of the plane, and all I saw were snowcapped mountains. The sky was painted a dark gray, but it looked beautiful to me.

"Where are we?" I asked Kakashi, who had his nose stuck in his book. He shut it quietly and placed it in his lap.

"I'm surprised you don't know. Look outside again, just to see if anything comes together."

I did as I was told, and most of the clouds cleared so I was able to see at least up to ten miles visibility. I looked around, searching for anything other than the snow capped mountains. My eyes wandered and I soon realized where I was at—Montana. I had always wanted to go to Montana, ever since I read books about most of my fantasized life happening there. I had always pictured myself sitting in a log cabin in Montana, directly in front of a warm fireplace.

One thing I never really told anyone? I always hoped that I would spend this with Kakashi.

"We're in Montana," I muttered, almost incoherently. He placed his arm around me, hugging me up against him.

"I know, love." He kissed my cheek. "Just for you."

"How did you know? I don't recall ever telling you."

His eyes turned bright and he gave me a innocent smile. "I have my ways."

The plane landed at the airport and Kakashi and I walked off of the plane. We grabbed our luggage and he had his arm wrapped around me, keeping me warm. If I was smart enough to bring a jacket—I would have—but it being in my luggage did not help me at all. Kakashi hailed a cab easily, as if he had practiced many times before. He told the driver to go to some street; I wasn't really paying attention because the sight astounded me before my eyes. I used to dream about going to Montana when I was a younger girl. The cab driver nodded in approval and we were off. Kakashi and I whispered quietly as the driver drove us to our destination. It was snowing; the white, fluffy flakes piled up easily here, in contrast to the weather in Ridgeway.

The cab driver stopped at what looked like an old pathway of some sort, and he tipped his hat at Kakashi. Kakashi handed him the required fare and told him to have a good day. The cab driver returned the greeting and drove off.

"I hope you don't mind walking a bit, it's just up here." Kakashi pointed up the beaten pathway with his gloved hand. I cocked my head to one side; he seemed so much more beautiful in this weather for some odd reason. I found myself giving him a once-over; only it wasn't only once, more like seven times. He snapped his fingers in front of his face, giving me that crooked smile that made my heart skip. "You alright, love?" he asked. He was obviously trying his best not to laugh, and I laughed for him.

"Yeah, sorry. Just the…weather." I coughed nervously and started up the path. "I bet I'll beat you there."

He raised a silver eyebrow in question. "You don't know where the cabin is!"

"I'm sure I could find it." I said before breaking out into a full-scale run, even with my luggage. The bags bumped and heaved against the rocks that were stuck in the pathway, and Kakashi was only a millisecond behind me, it seemed. It was about thirty seconds after that I came across a cabin, in which I headed straight for. I knew Kakashi would tell me if I was wrong, because I certainly didn't want to walk into someones house.

"I told you I'd beat you." I said, and then turned around to see if he was there. He wasn't. I turned around again, and he jerked my luggage out of my hand, leaving them on the doorstep. He grabbed my hand and almost kicked the door to the cabin down. He quickly shut the door, forgetting about the luggage. I opened my mouth to remind him about it, but no words came out. His heavy coat was off of him, which I guessed he threw in the floor. I didn't have time to look around to see what the cabin looked like in any way; he had me pinned up against the door.

There was something in his eyes that I couldn't place. He gave me that crooked smile and he wrapped his arms around my lower back. I closed my eyes and swallowed hard, I knew what was happening. I knew what was going to go on. I laughed inwardly at myself, like I could really stop myself if I wanted to. Kakashi, the way he was looking at me with those piercing blue eyes—it was like he could see into my very soul. His body was not touching mine in any way, with the exception of his hands at the small of my back. I looked up at him above my glasses and exhaled loudly. He bent down near my neck and whispered into my ear.

"Welcome to Montana." He said. I stood there for what seemed like forever, wanting to scream from all the anxiety and basically being denied right then and there—but I couldn't. Not at Kakashi. I pressed myself upward on my tiptoes, reaching his ear. I giggled—which came out more like a sadistic and sultry laugh—and clicked my tongue.

"I will get you back for this, Mr. Hatake."

I ran off into the cabin until I found the bedroom, running into it and flopping down on the monster sized bed. It had a white duvet cover and was extremely comfortable. Kakashi ran in after me, basically tackling me for all I was worth, and got under the covers. I followed suit, because it was kind of cold in the room.

"So, Mrs. Hatake," he said lowly, smirking again at me. I blushed, my face turning at least seven shades of red—I wasn't used to the name yet. "I believe you ran off before could finish what we started."  


* * *

**--Six Months Later—**

"Lexie, can you hear me?"

I opened my eyes, but they were slammed shut instantly. It hurt to hold them open, it hurt to breathe, and there was no doubt I couldn't speak. I heard beeping noises, but they were so far away. My hand grabbed onto whatever it was that I was in—I knew I was moving, at least I hoped I was.

I was dying.

My heart was pumping too fast for my body to keep up with. The beeping noises got faster rapidly, but then decreased to a slower beep—then it repeated the process. My chest was pounding, and it felt like my heart was going to literally beat out of my chest. The pain was immense, quick and sudden at times, but it also stayed. I knew I could only last so much longer.

"Lexie! Focus on me!" I heard someone say. I felt someone try to put their hand in mine, but it didn't work because my hands were already swollen so much. The hand then touched my face, and I recognized it instantly.

Kakashi.

We had been married for six months, and I was pregnant. I was going through the same thing that my mom went through—preeclampsia. It almost killed my mom and I when she had it, I was grateful to be alive. But now, this happening to me was almost more than I could take.

I knew I would die.

I felt myself being raised up. I knew I was in a hospital gurney, and they were probably going to perform a Cesarean section so my own child wouldn't kill me—the thought of that sent shivers up my spine, which I could barely feel. I had enough strength to open my eyes for ten seconds. I saw Kakashi kneeling down with his head in his hands, beating the floor. My parents as well as my grandparents stood in the hallway, screaming.

"We love you, Lexie! We always will." I heard my mom scream on behalf of the family.

Then, I saw black.

I saw black for the longest time, then the black faded into white. The white turned into a yellow light. Cascading colors were all around me, then I saw white again.

Was I dead?

I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't see anything but that light.

I was dead.

Then I felt something.

A beating of some sort. It wouldn't stop beating. Then, it came harder. It was a more forced beating. I felt air, next. More beating. More air. It felt like hands were pressing on my chest.

"Two minutes and we have to stop. If I don't get a steady beat within a two minute time period, I will stop."

"I'm not stopping," I heard a voice say. I recognized that voice, but I didn't know who it was—my memory had escaped me. The beating stopped for a millisecond, then smaller hands replaced the ones that were previously beating.

"One minute," I heard. The noises were closer. The light was brighter. The voices were louder. I heard a crying noise, and that stupid beeping noise again. Then—I shot straight up, a few wires holding me down. It took me a good few seconds to recognize where I was.

The hospital room.

I saw my parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles and some of my cousins. I saw my sister and her boyfriend and my other brother. I saw nurses and doctors.

Then, I saw Kakashi.

I found his blue eyes first, looking into them deeply.

"Lexie? Say something." Kakashi asked. I stared at him for a second.

"Wh..what happened?"

A doctor stepped forward.

"You were dead for five minutes. You flat lined. Kakashi, your husband, and your mom performed CPR on you. Before that, we cut open your stomach and delivered your baby. She's alive, but she isn't well just yet. She's in critical condition. You can't see her for a while. I know it's going to be hard, but you're going to have to stay here for at least a month. Right now, you shouldn't be talking. Your blood pressure is a little high. You should take it easy."

Kakashi held my hand for the longest time. "You should rest, love. Go to sleep." He said gently.

I raised my head up slightly and looked around. "Mommy," I muttered. She walked over to me and took the place of Kakashi.

"It's all right," she said, her eyes clouding over with tears. "I understand." She sat down beside of me. I closed my eyes in an attempt to sleep.

"How did you know what she meant?" Kakashi asked my mom. My mom laughed, or at least it sounded like it. Then, it hit me. I never told Kakashi my story. I never did really like to talk about it much. It bothered me, in a way. But I was grateful."

"Because I went through it, too."  


* * *

**--One Month Later—**

Today was the first day I could see my baby. I felt better some, but I went downhill at times. My mom and Kakashi were the only ones who stayed overnight; the rest of my family saw me during the day. The nurse came in with my baby in her arms. She smiled as she handed her to me.

"Mrs. Hatake," she said. "Here she is. She's fine now. She's almost at five pounds."

I held her in my arms and the nurse left. I smiled at Kakashi.

"She has your eyes," I said.

"She looks like you." He told me. "I wonder if she'll have white hair."

"Ah, I hope not."

He stuck his tongue out at me and I laughed. The nurse came in again and sat down in between Kakashi and I.

"What's her name?"

Kakashi and I looked at each other.

"Constance Avery Hatake." I said. The nurse looked up at us, probably making sure we were both satisfied with the name. We nodded in approval and the nurse left again. The doctor, who came in a few minutes later, replaced her.

"Mrs. Hatake, I need to speak to you. Your husband can stay if he wishes to." The doctor said. Kakashi stood up and moved closer to me. "Mr. and Mrs. Hatake, are you aware that you cannot have any children?"

I exhaled loudly. "I figured as much."

"She can't?" Kakashi asked.

"No. The preeclampsia that she was set into, which pre- is the worst kind, set herself so badly that she could not carry another child if she were to conceive. She could risk her life again, and the baby's as well—which is something I know you both don't want to go through." He turned to look at me. "Your mother had it, did she not?"

"Yes. She had a tubal ligation as well; I'm guessing that's what you did to me as well?"

"Yes, we had to." He said.

Kakashi looked at the doctor strangely. "What does that mean?"

"I have my tubes tied, dear." I smiled at the doctor. "He hasn't gotten over the fact we have a child."

"Ah," the doctor shook his head. "Congratulations on your daughter."

"Thank you, sir." Kakashi and I said in unison.

"Wait, does this mean we can't…resume our….uh..sexual..activities?" Kakashi asked. I slapped him on the leg and he blushed twenty shades of red.

The doctor chuckled at my antics. "No, you still can."

I coughed in embarrassment, reminding myself that Kakashi would definitely pay for that when I was released. "Anything else we need to know?"

"No, that should be all." He said before he left. He backtracked into the room and stopped at the door. He didn't turn around to face us, but we could still hear him. "You're a lucky man, Mr. Hatake. You're lucky as well, Mrs. Hatake. Your husband and your mother refused to give up on you…even after you were already dead."

I looked at Kakashi, who smiled at me.  


* * *

"_In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."_

_--Obito Uchiha; Kakashi Hatake._


End file.
